Loyalty and Bruises
by YourGuardianAngel08
Summary: "You see, you are going to be the key to Camelot." When Cenred captures Arthur and Merlin, with the intention of interrogating the Prince for information, Merlin takes it upon himself to protect his friend. But when Merlin ends up taking the brunt of the punishment, can Arthur return the favor? serious whump!Merlin
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! For anyone that read Friends of the Hollow Queen, this is the fanfic that I previewed at the end. It's darker than anything else I've written but I wanted to do something different and this is my attempt. I've tried to stay as true to the characters as I could but as this is a situation that we never saw in the show so I might go a little off script while writing it. Let me know what you think!**

Loyalty and Bruises

Merlin skidded around the corner, both packs smacking against his back, Arthur was going to kill him. This was the third time this week he was late but this time it was for something that Arthur actually wanted to do. For as long as he had been the infuriating prince's servant, he still didn't get the idea of hunting. Why anyone would want to kill an unsuspecting deer was beyond him but unfortunately his musing did nothing but distract him from the fact that he was coming up on the stairs a little too quickly. Somehow managing to stop himself before tumbling down the castle steps he sprinted down the stairs to meet a less than amused, mounted Arthur.

"Merlin, I trust we're not interrupting something terribly pressing." The sarcasm lacing his tone was enough to tell Merlin that he was upset this morning.

"No, sire. No place I would rather be." Came the petulant taunt.

"I have no problem leaving you here in the stocks, Merlin. I don't really need you tramping around the woods scaring off all the game. I'm sure the kitchen has some rotten food that can be tossed out, hell I might have them bring out the fresh vegetables." Arthur was not in the mood; all he wanted to do was go hunting. This week had been the week from hell and he wanted to release his pent up frustration on some sport, however, if Merlin kept it up, it might just be his hapless servant that received the brunt of his anger. As such, Arthur was hoping that Merlin might for once feel guilty for his tardiness and just keep his mouth shut until the Prince had had the chance to kill something. At the same time, he knew it was a small chance.

As soon as Merlin finished tying down the rest of the supplies, the hunting party moved out, the Prince leading the way. Arthur had elected to only take about seven soldiers, hoping to keep the distractions and headaches to a minimum. Plus they would be able to move much faster with the smaller entourage.

* * *

It had turned out to be a particularly muggy, warm day and although Arthur had passed several places where he could have found game, he knew that no animal would be up and moving. So he pressed on. Merlin, however, was not appreciating the pace or the mission and had not picked up on the earlier thoughts of the Prince, spending most of the morning complaining about the trip. Wanting only to be home where it was slightly cooler and not killing innocent things, Merlin kept up a constant string of jests. However, his quips fell on deaf ears; Arthur was not in the mood to even attempt the banter. His father had been in negotiations with Cenred, the snake of a king, because his men were crossing into Camelot's lands, seemingly to test the red king's resolve. Oddly, Uther was reluctant to go to war with the man although he was preparing a sizable force to march into the lands that were the most heavily harassed. He, or more specifically the council, might not want all out war but he was willing to make his force and will known. In any case, Arthur had spent most of the week listening to the prattle of both sides as Cenred's men made excuses for the infiltration of his soldiers. It tried his nerves. Merlin waking him up late for most of the proceedings had not helped his disposition, making his servant's taunting even less acceptable than normal.

This was the direction of his thoughts when the first man fell off his horse. At first Arthur assumed Merlin had fallen asleep in his saddle again and finally turned around with a comment when he heard the blood-chilling sound of metal against a scabbard. That was never good. No sooner had Arthur drawn his sword and turned to face his men when the bandits burst from the wood into the path in front of them. The last thought Arthur allowed before turning to the attack was that he wished he had brought more men.

Spurring his horse on, Arthur charged head first into the fray, the men of Camelot at his back.

* * *

While Arthur fought on the ground, Merlin had managed to make it to the tree line, giving him a good view of the battle. He knew Arthur and his men were badly outnumbered and he was attempting to do what he could to even the stakes. His usual tactics of falling branches and burning handles gave way to a couple tumbling rocks off the ravine they had been following when he realized how many bandits there actually were. While he could take out a few men with this method, he had to be careful because the falling rocks attracted a bit more attention than the tree branches. However, his hideout was so far secure.

A few more men caught in a small landslide.

Another taken out by a falling branch.

A group of men fighting Arthur suddenly felt the sting of fire as their hilts mysteriously heated in their hands.

Still even with all his efforts and concentration the bandits kept coming. The men of Camelot were slowly being overwhelmed.

Merlin was focusing intently on a couple of bandits who had gathered around one of the soldiers when he felt a sharp point in the middle of his back. He had left his guard down.

"Turn around." The bandit's cold voice ordered. As he turned he whispered the burning spell under his breath, hoping to run once the man dropped the sword. Set to run, he didn't realize there were two men flanking the one who had just thrown down his still hot sword. He ran straight into these two.

"And where do you think you're going, runt?" A sucker punch knocked him flat and left his head reeling.

* * *

The fighting was bitter. The men of Camelot were much better trained than the men they were arrayed against but the bandits had the numbers to crush the soldiers.

Arthur fought hard. Dispatching another bandit he took a moment to survey the field. Apparently, Merlin had found himself a place to hide because he was nowhere to be seen and for once the Prince was thankful for that. As much as he enjoyed pretending he loathed his servant, he would never forgive himself if the man were injured. The men around him were not having the same luck. The small force he had brought with him was slowly falling.

Still they fought on.

His arms were heavy when he watched the last red-cloaked man hit the ground and his stomach dropped. He was the only one left and he knew it was only a matter of time. Even the great prince of Camelot could only take so much. Now his thoughts turned to escape. Pushing forward toward the wood where he assumed Merlin had fled, Arthur tried to make it into the trees. He was doing a commendable job until at a whistle all the frantic movements of the men around him stopped. The absence of an attack caught Arthur off guard and he managed to kill a few more men before he was completely surrounded, swords pointing in from all sides. Knowing the situation could only lead to a horrible development Arthur kept his sword raised.

"Prince Arthur," the voice came from behind him and fixing his most threatening scowl, Arthur turned to face what he assumed was the leader of this merry band. As soon as he made the turn though, his face fell. Merlin, sporting a blackening eye, was supported between two thugs with the leader's knife to his throat; his eyes were wide with fear as the blade drew red at the sharp tip. The leader, who apparently was not as stupid as his followers, noted Arthur's reaction.

"I suggest you drop your blade Prince Arthur, wouldn't want mine to slip now, would we?"

With only a moment's hesitation, Arthur threw down his sword in disgust. Just in time to watch Merlin crumple like a rag doll as the bigger of the two thugs cracked him across the head with the hilt of his sword. He had only a moment of angry protest before his skull radiated an intense pain that ended with blackness.

* * *

When he woke up, his arms were chained to the ceiling above him and his head was screaming. Merlin was chained across from him, his head resting on his chest but from what Arthur could tell he was still breathing evenly. The fist sized bruise swelling around his eye was vibrantly visible against his pale skin and Arthur could not help the anger rising at the thought of someone hitting Merlin. His thoughts were interrupted by the squealing sound of the door as it ground open on old hinges. Finally, he was going to get a look at whoever had decided it was a good idea to capture the Prince of Camelot.

He took one last look at Merlin before turning his complete attention to the door.

In strode four men, the restraining muscle from the looks of them, not one seemed to have a thought going on behind the dull eyes. Still, it was obvious they were there to subdue any unwarranted behavior, not that Arthur, or even Merlin, was in any position to do anything. It was the shorter man who stepped into the room after the muscle who caught Arthur's attention. He was dressed in leather, with pants that seemed to too tight for any real comfort and definitely not conducive to a battle situation. On his back were two crossed swords that while they had the look of a royal make, probably had never really seen battle. This man's arrogance was palpable and he had the look of a jackal, someone who had never won anything, but had been successful at picking clean the bones of another's kill. This had to be Cenred, Arthur had never truly met the man but he had heard enough of his assentation to the throne through murder and maneuvering that this seemed an appropriate guess. Morgause must have a hand in this, Cenred would never have the nerve to capture Arthur without her support, he was too weak.

"Prince Arthur." He addressed his prisoner with mock sincerity, "I don't believe we've met. But don't worry, I know much about you and I think you can offer me much more." His lips curled into a wicked smile.

"Well, that does not seem fair, you know my name but I can only guess at yours." Arthur paused like it was some great mystery he was trying to reason out, "Cenred isn't it?" An affirmative nod was all the noble received. "The petty king who has been sending his men into my father's lands. I've had the pleasure of entertaining your pawns. "

Cenred's smile slipped for a moment, "Yes, they were a necessary distraction. I have heard that you like to go on hunts after long diplomatic talks. Did you like my ruse?"

Arthur thought about a retort but kept it to himself, allowing the king to continue to talk, he seemed to like the sound of his own voice.

"You see you are going to be the key to Camelot." Arthur couldn't help but scoff, he knew he would never betray his kingdom; there was nothing this snake of a man could do to him that would result in information.

"You seem to doubt my claim. No matter, you will find soon enough that I have ways that will leave you begging for mercy and asking me what I want to hear. No one has been able to resist my men and they have gotten much practice. I can see in your face that you believe you will be the one to beat the game, but trust me in this Prince Arthur, I have resources that can cause you pain without leaving a single physical mark. The power that I can yield will bring you to your knees and in turn you will bring Camelot to hers. I will have your lands and you will be the one to deliver them to me."

Arthur gave the man a blank stare. Cenred's hope at seeing something akin to fear flicker in the young prince's eyes was extinguished and the smile wiped from his face to be replaced by a sharp, dangerous glare.

"We'll find if you are a tough as you think you are, Arthur Pendragon. I do not think you have ever felt real pain before."

Gloating and threats completed, Cenred sauntered out of the room. The bodyguards followed him out, leaving Arthur and Merlin still strung up from the ceiling. Arthur's week had just gotten worse and Merlin still had not woken up.

* * *

When Merlin came to, his head was killing him and for some reason he couldn't feel his arms. Groaning, he lifted his foggy head and attempted to figure out why he was hurting, the last thing he remembered was making fun of Arthur for…for…something related to killing defenseless animals, gods his head hurt. Winking his eyes open he was surprised to see that it was as dark in the room as it was behind his eyelids. Blinking a few more times and willing his eyes to adjust to the minimal lighting in the room, Merlin looked around. He still couldn't feel his arms and it was beginning to annoy him about as much as the pounding in his head. The first thing he noticed was Arthur chained to the ceiling, head resting on his chest. _Well at least that explains the numb arms_, proud that he had been able to force that thought through his fussy brain, he went back to analyzing the situation. He knew he could get himself out of these chains using his magic he just had to hope that he was the first one to wake up, if Arthur had already seen him in chains it might lead to some interesting questions but he could deal with that when the time came. Now he just needed to force himself to focus a little bit more…the squawking door interrupted his thoughts. Merlin watched as Arthur's head snapped up at the sound and he thought he saw a quick flash of fear cross his friend's face, although it could have just as easily been a trick of the light.

Four men strode in followed by a man dressed in leather, the king of Essetir, Cenred if Merlin remembered correctly. They went straight to the bound Prince who held the eye of the advancing noble.

"So Prince Arthur, have you had time to think about what I told you?"

"I won't betray Camelot."

"I don't want much." The man said in a sickeningly calm voice, "just a few of the secret entrances I know exist in the foundations to allow the spineless nobles to escape if the castle is under siege. It would save you much pain to just tell me know."

Arthur looked straight ahead, a stony expression fixed on his features. His eyes flicked to Merlin's for a moment and the warlock could see the worry growing there, Arthur knew something was coming.

Cenred stepped back and motioned to the one of the men who had marched in first. He simply walked up to Arthur and hit him, hard, in the stomach. Arthur curled slightly but recovered and retained his stony expression. Merlin watched in horror as the man hit him again and again and again. Arthur became the man's personal punching bag. Most of the shots were focused on his stomach but a few caught him in the chest and arms, the Prince could do nothing to protect himself. Still he refused to make a noise, but his eyes did slide to Merlin's and the servant held his gaze.

The beating continued for a while longer, Arthur had long since lost track of how many hits, they were all blurring together in a sick kaleidoscope of pain. He became aware that Cenred had been asking him a few questions but still he refused to talk, this he could handle, this was just pain. He could never live with himself if he betrayed his kingdom. Those were the only thoughts he allowed into his dimming mind.

Cenred was becoming increasingly annoyed with the prince; he had not had any reaction to the treatment. The mock king had expected something from the spoiled royal. His annoyance lead to frustration so when the brute doing the beating paused for a moment and looked back at his king, Cenred gave him a slight nod. The man delivered one strong uppercut and Arthur's head snapped back and came to rest on his chest but his eyes fluttered open again. Another nod. Two more hits. And he was unconscious.

Merlin could tell the king was furious. Apparently, he had expected Arthur to break after a few hits; he had underestimated the tenacity of the prince.

Merlin took one look at Arthur and knew he had to do something. Arthur would die before he gave up any of the information that this king was looking for. He had to convince Cenred that Arthur wouldn't talk, so he figured he would play on the king's vanity. Scoffing quietly and shaking his head at the angered king he said in his most arrogant tone,

"You won't be able make him talk."

"Excuse me?" The king turned his anger on the servant.

"You honestly think that _you_ will be able to get the crowed prince of Camelot to give you information on his kingdom? You're more stupid than I thought." Cenred was seething at this point and Merlin winced, slightly afraid for his own life. One look at Arthur hardened his resolve.

"And you are exactly?" Cenred narrowed his gaze critically.

"Me? I'm no one, I just know he won't talk."

"No one hmm…and that gives you the right to speak to me in this way?" His response slithered off his tongue.

"I know a snake when I see one. And you don't deserve the respect I would normally show." Apparently something clicked under the slimy head.

"You must be the servant that I've heard so much about. The one who dares talk to his Prince as though he's an equal. I've heard of the Prince's unusual attachment to you. But I will tell you, you will not speak to me in the same tone."

"Why? Are you afraid of the opinion of a no-body, you slimy, greasy-haired twat?"

The answering backhand split his lip open, left a sizable gash on his cheek from the purposely-sharp ring, and left his head reeling but still he kept it up. "Is that it? The kitchen maids hit harder than that."

A fist to the gut left Merlin wheezing but he could tell he was close to trapping the king.

He forced himself to chuckle, "You will never break Arthur if your interrogators are as effective at their job as you are, princess." Cenred's eyes flashed dangerously.

"We shall see." Turning away for a moment, a thought seemed to cross the king's mind, "However, since you seem to be so resilient, I'll let the men practice on you. Maybe seeing the torture will soften your Prince's resolve." The king shrugged. "If not, maybe we'll get lucky and the torture of his apparently favored servant will force him to reveal a few snippets of information to ease your suffering." With one more hit to his stomach, Cenred gave the order to release their chains.

Arthur hit hard and as soon as Merlin was freed, he was at the Prince's side. His arms were burning and tingling fiercely as the blood flow returned to them and he had a time forcing them to respond to his brain, but eventually he got back enough feeling to check on Arthur. Realizing that brute had not done any permanent damage, he gave a sigh of relief. The Prince was out cold with a nasty assortment of bruises and bloodied cuts covering his body and he would definitely be sore in the morning but nothing was broken and nothing was life threatening. Now he just had to sit back and wait for his Royal Prat-ness to wake up, unfortunately that gave him time to think about what was going to happen to him the next time those men came through the door. He had bought a little time, not he just needed to come up with an escape plan.

**So there is the first installment. Let me know think! Have a good day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So here you go! Another chapter up! I get into a little more Merlin whump on this one so let me know what you think!**

"Good morning, lazy daisy! Nice of you to finally join the land of the conscious." _Gods, even in a dungeon Merlin was far too cheeky in the morning_. Arthur attempted to push himself up off the floor when his chest screamed at him. An _urmph_ was all he could manage as he got himself into a sitting position. Closing his eyes for a brief moment and taking stock of what parts of his body were actually in pain, he jumped when he opened his eyes to see Merlin's face swimming in his line of sight, a worried look painted on his features.

"Are you alright?" He was afraid he had missed something.

"Yea Merlin, fantastic. I only feel like I've been run down by a few…dozen…horses."

"Well, at least your mouth is working." Merlin quipped back, then he got serious again, "I don't think anything is broken Arthur but you're going to be sore for a while."

"Something tells me this is just the beginning Merlin, I'm pretty sure I'm going to feel sore for a long time to come, at least until we get ourselves out of here."

Merlin finally sat back and Arthur looked him over to make sure he was not the worse for wear. As his eyes came into focus, he noticed a swelling bruise on his friend's face and what looked like a rough cut across his cheekbone. He had seen bruises like this before, it normally happened when a royal wearing a ring hit a servant.

"What did you do?" Arthur narrowed his eyes in suspicion; Cenred had ignored Merlin yesterday so he had to have done something to draw the king's attention and that made Arthur a bit nervous.

Merlin, for his part, just looked confused at the question, "What are you talking about Arthur? Did that guard hit your head harder than I thought?"

"Your cheek, Merlin. Cenred hit you, I want to know why."

Merlin was shocked that his Prince noticed but he couldn't let him know his plan, not yet, Arthur might still find a way to get around it, he could be quite annoying as well.

"I might have made a few comments about how worthless of a king he is and how it's going to be impossible for him to make you talk. For some reason he doesn't appreciate my wit as much as you do." He had a satisfied smile on his face that was promptly wiped off as Arthur spoke again,

"You should not have done that, Merlin. We are not in the position to be angering the person who has us prisoner. If he decides that we are in anyway threatening, he could place more guards which would make it harder to escape." While Arthur's theory seemed plausible, the Prince knew the real reason was that this king was easily swayed and he didn't want Merlin to attract any attention to himself because if he tortured Merlin, Arthur would be more inclined to give up information to protect his friend.

"Where else did he hit you?" Again Merlin was surprised by his friend's sudden insight but figured that Arthur did not need to know everything, it would only make him feel worse.

"He didn't Arthur, he just gave me a good slap before he walked out of the room."

"Well, from now on, try and stay quiet. One of us needs to be able to get both of us out of the room and if you get yourself injured as well neither one of us will be going anywhere until someone in Camelot realizes that we're gone." Arthur couldn't help by sigh; for once he was just hoping his servant would do what he said, as much as he doubted it would actually happen. Merlin just gave him a look and a small voice in the back of his mind warned him that Merlin had already done something stupid.

They sat in silence for a few minutes until the door opening on the rusted hinges shattered the tenseness that comes with waiting.

The two men stood and faced their captors as the four guards walked into the room. Arthur expected Cenred to follow them in as he had done yesterday but the man did not appear. Arthur wanted to fight but knew that he had not said anything to Merlin and that it was probably not a good idea to do anything rash, unfortunately submitting was as stupid as Merlin mouthing off to Cenred. All he could hope was that it put the guards a little at ease for the next time they entered.

Both sides stared the other down but the tense was unwarranted as both prisoners submitted. As they were being chained to the ceiling again, Cenred sauntered into the room.

"Oh, Prince Arthur, we have something special for you today. I can't help but wonder if you will be able to be as tight-lipped as you were yesterday."

Arthur scoffed at the comment; of course he would be fine.

Cringing, as the final manacle was clasp in place, Arthur prepared himself for another fun day of pain, which is why he was confused when the man who had pulled a knife out of a sheath at his belt, stalked toward Merlin. Confused was an understatement, his mind was spinning a thousand miles a minute wondering when this change had occurred and what he was going to do to fix it. Unfortunately, the only thing that actually made it past his lips was an unintelligent,

"I think you're going the wrong way."

This caused the king to snicker, "No Prince Arthur, today its your insufferable servant's turn, if he's lucky I might stop Tol before he cuts off his ears or fingers. Sometimes he just gets a little caught up in his work." Merlin's eyes widened at the threat and for a moment regretted his decision to goad the king.

Arthur for his part persisted. "He knows nothing. I'm lucky if he can make it to the laundry room and back, there is no way he can know any of the information you want." He didn't want to beg.

"Are you defending your servant? I knew he was favored but this is a little…irregular. None of it matters; he will pay for his comments yesterday. He did practically offer to take the punishment for you. So I've decided to kill him slowly for your benefit, then my men will simply do what they are doing to him to you. I still get what I want; it just takes a bit longer. I am however willing to listen if you wish to tell me a few snippets, it won't save him in the long run but it will save him some pain now. Unless of course you want to talk now, if that's the case I might look past his earlier indiscretions and leave him alone entirely."

Arthur was seriously considering the offer, this was his fight but when he caught Merlin's eye, he saw the steel there, and in one horrible moment of clarity, he knew Merlin would never forgive him for giving up Camelot to save him. Arthur snapped his mouth shut and turned to face Cenred,

"Camelot is worth more than our lives." A sick feeling rose in his stomach as he spat the words, he was condemning his friend to torture and possibly death if he didn't come up with a solution fast enough. The thought threatened to up-end his tender stomach but still he kept an impassive expression.

Catching Merlin's eye he saw the gratitude there, and the fear. Cenred shrugged and stepped aside so that Arthur could watch the man, Tol, do his grotesque work.

Merlin's thin shirt had been pulled up to allow for the knife work but it also revealed more bruising on his stomach, apparently when he had told Arthur that Cenred had only smacked him he had left out a few more details. Arthur knew that it was going to get much worse. Merlin tried to pull away from the wicked knife moving toward him but he could only twist so far. The movement caused the sleeves of Merlin's tunic to fall around his elbows and Tol started his job there. Without any kind of warning or chance to escape the pain, the beefy man laid the knife at his wrist and dragged it down his forearm. Suddenly red made the servant's natural paleness more pronounced. The cut wasn't deep enough to cause any real damage but that did not stop it from bleeding profusely and hurting like hell.

Merlin bit down on his cheek so hard it bled. The taste and the scent mingling, making him sick. Still he refused to scream. However, this angered the meathead cutting on him, at least he seemed angered but it was impossible to tell as his vision narrowed. _Well at least the brute has original thinking_, Merlin thought sarcastically, as he felt the cool knife touch his skin on his other wrist. Slowly drawing the dagger down his arm in a slightly more dramatic fashion, the man was begging for a scream. Merlin refused, drawing more blood from his already abused cheek.

* * *

The cutting continued. He had thought to count but then realized that he couldn't, the pain had numbed his brain to the point where he couldn't focus well enough to do so. Each slice bled into the next even though he knew his tormentor was taking a break between each one. His world had tapered to the point where only two things were left, the pain and the overwhelming drive to resist this sadistic bastard for as long as he could.

While Merlin had lost count of his wounds, Arthur saw each one in vivid display and it was something that he would never forget for each cut was burned into his memory. But throughout all this, Arthur was amazed. He knew Merlin was stubborn but this was a different level. The man had drawn the knife across his skin six times and still Merlin had refused to scream or even give the man the satisfaction of a whimper. He had however spat blood multiple times and Arthur knew that he was biting down on his cheek to keep himself in check. He would have to check him over to make sure he didn't damage himself to badly. Arthur was not handling Merlin's torture as well as Merlin was. His increasing anxiety was getting to him and he found himself testing the chains on his wrists more forcefully. He couldn't betray Merlin by calling out to him but he wanted so badly to give Cenred some information to make it stop.

For as dumbfounded as Arthur was, Tol was equally frustrated. Most people scream at the first cut, those who didn't were begging by the fourth. This scrawny runt was on his seventh cut and had yet to call out, that was frustrating to a man who made his mark by causing pain.

Tol proceeded to cut, each slice was at least six inches long and in many instances they were longer. Still Merlin refused to scream even though it felt as though his entire body was burning.

By the tenth cut with only a small whimper of pain, this resistance was personal. Switching his grip on the dagger, he plunged it into the man's shoulder.

Merlin screamed.

The sound cut Arthur to the quick. The scream was torn from Merlin's stubborn throat and Arthur felt like retching. This was not supposed to happen, it was supposed to be him tortured for information. Him, the person who had been trained from birth to withstand pain and fear, instead it was his servant, a peasant who had fallen into his employ by accident and had ended up as his friend. Cenred noticed his distress, Arthur couldn't hide his fear, and decided to test the resolve of the Prince.

"I can make it stop, Arthur," he affirmed, "It only takes a little information."

"You're an arrogant twat who does not deserve the title of King. Never will we betray Camelot."

Cenred's eyes lit up, this was becoming fun, "This then, is your fault." He nodded to Tol who proceeded to jerk his dagger from Merlin's shoulder, and placing the point on his shoulder dragged the blade from shoulder to opposite hip. Merlin's head snapped up and he screamed again, he couldn't control it at this point his mind was too fuzzy with pain. Cenred turned back to Arthur who had paled two more shades, "Care to rethink your comment."

Arthur couldn't speak, only bit down on his own cheek hard enough to draw blood and watched in horror as Tol repeated the cut he had made moments before. Merlin promptly passed out, his scream cut short as his consciousness fled.

"I guess that ends it for today." Cenred said to no one in particular, "Prince Arthur, you might want to rethink your responses, this will go on until he's dead, unless you chose to give me something useful." The man flashed him a smile before sweeping out of the room. Two of the men followed while the other two moved to unshackle the prisoners.

They moved to Merlin's chains first, laughing slightly as the boy landed in an undignified heap on the ground before moving to Arthur's restraints.

The Prince waited until they released his chains and as soon as his feet hit the ground he made his way to the undignified heap. Laying Merlin flat on his back, Arthur looked over the wounds. Thankfully, they were not deep, the man had only broken the first couple layers of skin and they would probably be healed over by the morning, the problem was that shoulder. The bleeding had slowed to a trickle but it still stood a good chance of becoming infected. Ripping a few strips off his tunic, Arthur bound up the wound as best he could before looking at some of the longer wounds. Wrapping what injuries he could with his undershirt, Arthur pulled Merlin's thin shirt down over the damage, realizing it did not do much to keep out the sudden chill of the cell. Shrugging off his hunting jacket, Arthur laid it over his friend and pulled his knees to his chest so he could rest his head. He spent a good amount of time watching and waiting. He needed to find a way out of this place before Merlin faced any more needless suffering.

* * *

As the time wore on, Arthur found himself concocting more and more ridiculous escape plans and becoming more and more worried when his friend still had not woken.

* * *

After a few hours, Merlin finally jerked himself awake. Instantly, Arthur was at his side, hand on his uninjured shoulder trying to keep him in place. Thankfully, the bleeding had stopped from the cuts and all of them had scabbed over but if Merlin moved too quickly he could easily reopen multiple wounds. Arthur looked his friend over carefully before asking,

"I know it's a bad question, but how are you feeling?"

Merlin looked up at his prince with a mixed look of incredulity and pain, "I feel like I've been in training with you for about a week."

Arthur looked him over again before mumbling something under his breath that sound suspiciously like 'I'm sorry'.

"Didn't catch that Arthur?" The Prince looked him in the eye and Merlin saw the sorrow there.

"I'm sorry Merlin. I tried to bound up the worst of the cuts but you still should not have gone through that." Merlin recognized the guilt and knew that Arthur would wallow in it if he didn't say anything.

"This is not your fault Arthur."

The Prince held his gaze for another moment before removing his jacket and helping his friend up to lean against the wall then he wrapped the coat back around him.

* * *

They sat shoulder to shoulder, sharing what heat they could, Arthur's hunting jacket still covering Merlin's shoulders while the man was resting his head against the wall with his eyes closed. That was when Arthur finally decided to address Merlin's poor decision making.

"Merlin, you should not have done that." Echoing his comment from earlier in the day.

"What have I done now Arthur?" Came the snarky reply, his eyes still closed.

"You convinced Cenred to torture you, you persuaded him into hurting you before he hurt me." The sincerity and pain in Arthur's voice was tangible. And then he whispered again, "You should not have done that Merlin."

When the servant finally met his master's eye, he expected anger and frustration but all he saw was fear, guilt, and pain. Arthur was doubting, doubting what Merlin wasn't sure: it could have been the chance of escape, his own ability to stay quiet, or even Merlin's chances to stay alive. In any case this doubt would be what ended them.

"How do you know I convinced him? Maybe he just thinks you like me for some reason." He meant it as a jest but the pained look on Arthur's face lead him to believe that Arthur was thinking the entire situation was his fault.

"Stop it Arthur." The Prince looked at him in surprise.

"None of this is your fault, I told you before. I did this to give us more time to escape. How useful would I be in an escape attempt if you were injured?"

Arthur couldn't help but smirk at that comment. "Not much, you're too clumsy to organize one."

"If only you knew how many times have I gotten us out of situations…"

Arthur's lips twitched up, a ghost of a smile on his lips, "This time Merlin, you should have kept your plans to yourself."

"We'll escape, Arthur, we just have to figure out how."

They spent a long while discussing their escape but all they ended up with before they succumbed to exhaustion was a half-baked scheme that was more likely to get them both killed a little sooner than projected.

**Well there is the second chapter, getting into the Merlin whump bit. I hope you liked it. I do have to work all day today (I work in a kitchen) and comments always makes the day go by faster. **

**Have a good day!**


	3. Chapter 3

**And here is chapter 3. Thank you so much for all the reviews you guys have given me, it means a lot to me that you like the story because I was a little bit worried about writing it since I thought it was dark and I didn't want to go too far off canon. This chapter has a lot of whump in it, poor Merlin it just seems to get worse before it gets better but I promise it will have a good ending and there will be some wonderful bromance worked throughout. **

**I hope you enjoy! **

Much like at home, Merlin woke up before Arthur. The Prince was still snoozing against the wall next to him and for a moment the secret warlock felt like simply drifting back into his dreamless slumber, he was still exhausted from the previous day. The problem with that plan was the reason he woke up. His sickened stomach was twisting in knots and his instincts told him it was not because of the fileting job he had experienced the day before. This feeling revolved around the "escape" plan the boys had come up with that night.

Basically, neither one could come up with a better idea than jumping the guards as they walked into the room, knocking two out quickly, taking their swords, and killing the other two. Then, they would wait for Cenred to appear so they could skewer him as well. Once that was completed their grand plan was to walk out of the fortress (or at least what they assumed was a fortress), get their bearings (they had no clue where they had been taken), and get the hell back to Camelot (once they figured out which way they should go). The plan had so many holes that Merlin couldn't help but feel like it would be as effective as carrying water in Arthur's chainmail.

Still, he was as anxious as Arthur to leave this funhouse and so he had stupidly agreed to the "plan". In his mind, the worst that would happen is that he would bear the brunt of the punishment and he was planning on that anyway, it's not like any of their other harebrained schemes had failed. This could always work. Deciding to keep the more positive thoughts in his mind, Merlin started to drop off again, his last thought was that he could always use a little magic to tip the tides in their favor; he would just need to be careful. Snuggling a little farther under the jacket he let himself get a little more sleep before their great escape attempt, he was still feeling weak and his shoulder was getting stiff, so he had to hope sleep would help alleviate some of the discomfort.

* * *

It wasn't long after Merlin had fallen back to sleep that the prince's nerves drove him awake as well. He knew that this plan was stupid, knew that Merlin was not in the condition to fight anyone but still he knew that it was either this or they wait a few more days for his father to realize they were gone and then a few more after that before the knights actually found out where they were. This would be one of the only chances they would get because Arthur knew that Merlin would not be able to move quickly the longer this went on. It had to be now because they were both still in something of a condition to escape. Looking over at his friend, he couldn't help the queasy feeling working its way into his stomach, he needed to make sure he protected Merlin as well as he could. As it was, he resolved to sit and watch to allow him to get a little more sleep before the guards decided to grace them with their presence.

* * *

As the first two guards walked in, Arthur and Merlin were ready for them. They were not standing in the shadows because they figured that would give them away, instead they waited until the men got close enough to grab them before they attacked. Arthur managed to get a good swing in, catching his guard across the face and laying him flat with one hit. Merlin was not so lucky. He got a good swing in but did not have the strength to knock the guard out. Whispering a strength spell, he clocked the guy again. Or he tried to clock the guy again. The man had muscle on his side and caught Merlin's fist before tossing him back, causing him to stumble. He just didn't realize Merlin would not give up that easily. Arthur on the other hand, had his hands full with the other two guards that had walked into the room and hadn't realized the plight of his friend. He tried to grab the sword off his unconscious guard but the blade stuck and he didn't have time to pull it free before a meaty fist was swinging at his face. This he took head-on, ducking and coming up swinging. His first hit went a little wide and really all he did was catch the first guard on the chin.

Merlin was holding his own and with one more magic-enhanced shot, knocked his guard unconscious. He couldn't help but smile to himself until he noticed the two guards that had taken on Arthur. Moving quickly over to the fray, the servant stepped in to help his master.

Arthur knew they were fighting well for the condition they were in, even Merlin had managed to take down one guard and Arthur had known he was not in any shape to fight. He fought harder against the second set of guards, knowing that they were close to their goal. That was until it all went to hell.

While Arthur was preoccupied with his opponent, Merlin's had managed to grab hold of his arm and twisted it behind his back in a pin that Arthur had used on him the first time they had met. All Merlin could think was: (1) he wished he had listened when Arthur told him later how to break the hold and (2) if only he could heat his arm up like he could swords' hilts without burning himself. Neither one of those thoughts actually helped the situation which just left Merlin to struggle against the guard's hold, trying to break the position. All that resulted in was an increased pressure as the man slowly eased his arm higher and higher up his back. His bandaged shoulder began screaming in agony. But Merlin knew the guard was trying to use him to distract Arthur so he forced himself to stay quiet.

While all this was going on, Arthur was fighting a winning battle against his own man. He had managed to daze the guard but he was a big guy and was not going down without more of a fight, when he heard a _cracckk_ and _pop_ that sounded completely unnatural. He turned to see Merlin, with his arm pinned behind his back and a grinning guard standing above him. Arthur saw his vision redden; if he could he would kill this man but somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice that sounded like Merlin's reminded him that it was more important to escape at this point.

As the guard inched his arm up his back, Merlin knew that it was getting close to dangerous, but he didn't think the brute would actually go so far as to snap the appendage. The actual breaking was an odd feeling. At first he hadn't felt anything, the world had slowed down significantly and it was only the sound of the bone snapping that brought his world into sharp awareness, the secondary popping sound just left him confused. A moment after that moment of clarity the pain smacked into him. A blinding heat erupted from the arm and he could not help the scream that seemed to match the intensity of the pain. He fought hard to keep conscious, as it was he stumbled, jostling the broken arm and causing his vision to narrow more. His prisoner subdued, the guard simply let go and Merlin hit his knees hard, his broken left arm falling useless against the dirt floor. He heaved up what little was left in his stomach.

Merlin had been no threat to the man but still he had shattered the limb and then dropped him like he was trash. With a roar that sounded suspiciously like "Merlin", Arthur ran at the pig currently standing over his friend. Aiming a well-placed hit at the man's temple, the guard crumpled. Arthur turned and placed himself in front of his servant, daring the last guard to come any closer. The guard looked around nervously, like he was expecting something and then a look of alarm came over his features as Arthur stalked toward him, a murderous gleam in his eye. If someone had to pay for his whimpering friend, it might as well be the only guard standing between them and escape. As Arthur advanced, the thing the guard had been looking around for appeared. In strolled Cenred with a few more guards in his retinue. Apparently, someone had been able to get the warning out. Backing up and placing himself in front of Merlin, Arthur waited for the crazy king to speak.

Clicking his tongue at the prince, "Prince Arthur, I did not think even you would be this delusional. What made you think that if you did manage to escape from this cell you would make it out of my fortress? You do not even know where you are? Of course, I guess as a knight of Camelot they train you to escape from all situations, even the ones that you have no hope of succeeding in. It's of no matter though; it simply means that you need a few more guards in your room." The king looked around for a moment and as a smirk spread across his face, Arthur knew that he had either heard or seen Merlin behind him, "And where is your smart-mouthed servant? I would have assumed he had something to add to this conversation. Or did _your_ little escape attempt cost him." Cenred looked like he was trying to get a good look at the boy Arthur was protecting but the Prince wouldn't move, the king narrowed his gaze and hissed at Arthur, "Move out of the way Prince Arthur, I want to see what else you've managed to do to your servant."

Arthur's chest constricted at the comment, he knew full well this was his fault, it had been his plan and Merlin had told him it was stupid, still _he_ insisted. So he planted his feet and clenched his fists daring Cenred to come closer. A little voice in the back of his mind reminded him that this was probably not a smart course of action but he was too wired to really pay heed to the advice. Cenred saw the challenge and waved off his guards, he could still hear the servant moaning in pain and figured that a little more mental torture would be good for the bull-headed Prince.

"You would be wise not to test me Arthur, do not forget I am the one who decides when your servant lives and dies but everything that happens before that last breath is your fault, not mine. I have no problem easing up on his torture, but you have to be willing to offer me something in return…this attempted escape it not what I'm looking for." Motioning to the guards, the men picked up the unconscious guards and dragged them out of the room, leaving Arthur in a state of disbelief. He figured Cenred would have him punished for his insolence, not leave him to help Merlin. Still he didn't dwell that long, he needed to see to Merlin.

Turning quickly and dropping to his knees, he knew the next few minutes were going to be more painful than the actual break. Not only had the man broken his arm but he had dislocated his shoulder as well and it needed to be popped back into place to ensure there was not any more damage done to the joint. Arthur laid his hand on his unwounded shoulder to get his attention.

Merlin's arm was throbbing, the entire limb was on fire and he knew that it would need to be set, that was not something he was looking forward to. He vaguely recognized Arthur talking to Cenred and his fear ratcheted up a notch because he was afraid they would punish them further. After all the work the Merlin had put in to keeping Arthur out of the line of fire, this would be one of the things that could pull Cenred's attention back to the Prince. Then the humming in the background that Merlin had equated to talking disappeared and he felt a hand grip his uninjured shoulder in a way that could not have been one of the guards. That's when he could finally make out something, it was Arthur's voice and it sounded kind of like his name but there was an undercurrent of fear that warped the voice into something he had never heard before. Still as the hand began to shake softly, he figured the only way to get it to stop was to focus his attention.

"…hurts, oh gods that hurts…" Arthur's stomach tightened because he knew what he was going to have to do next.

"I know, Merlin." He tried to think of how he was going to tell his friend the next part and decided on bluntness, "And you're not going to like what I have to do but its either this or the pain will continue to get worse." His friend looked up at him with a confused look making its way through his pain-wracked face. He didn't realize that his shoulder had been dislocated as well as his arm broken. Arthur never really was good at the bedside manner and at this point, he wished that he had found a way to learn from Gaius.

"I have to put your shoulder back into place, Merlin. It wasn't just the bone in your arm, the shoulder was dislocated as well," he tried to muster as soothing a voice as he could but that still did not help that he was going to be the one to cause more pain.

Keeping his face toward the floor, Merlin nodded. Once he had taken a moment to think about it, he knew the joint was in the wrong place.

"Merlin, look at me, please?" It wasn't an order. When his friend looked up he saw the knowledge that this needed to be done. Arthur helped him sit up and then placed his hands on the arm, one on the shoulder and the other somewhere where he hoped there was not a broken bone. Looking at Merlin one more time, to make sure he knew what was going on he started to rotate the joint as gently as he could. He heard the pop as the shoulder went back into the socket and then the scream that followed shortly after. Somehow, Merlin managed to stay awake but the tears pooling in his eyes were a testament to the agony he was in, still he refused to let them fall. He awkwardly set himself behind his servant and gripped his arm to make sure he didn't fall over, even though he managed not to pass out, he was still unsteady.

"Are you alright?" Arthur knew it was a stupid question but he was hoping that Merlin would point it out. Instead, he just nodded, not trusting his voice at this point. The Prince wasn't sure what to do, they didn't have anything to secure the arm with and something needed to be done to ensure that it remained immobile for as long as it could. Arthur thought of a way but wasn't sure if his pride and sense of propriety would allow it. Then Merlin tried to shift and jostled his arm again, crying out in pain. That is what finally overrode Arthur's vanity, the Prince leaned back against the wall, pulling Merlin with him, if they could not find anything to brace the arm with he would just have to hold it in place for him.

"Art-hur…wha…what are you doing?"

"Relax you idiot, this arm has to stay still or your going to hurt it more. Unless you can think of a different solution, I'm just going to have to keep it in place for you." The testiness in his tone was enough to let Merlin know how uncomfortable the Prince was with the situation but he had to admit, he was not a huge fan of attempting to sleep on the ground without any way to keep his arm steady. Every little movement hurt plus now he wasn't freezing. For all the embarrassment of the situation, Arthur knew he was at least finally doing something that could help Merlin.

* * *

Cenred's thugs came for them again the next day. They had finally surrendered to sleep, Merlin still clutched protectively in Arthur's arms, like he could do anything to delay the inevitable. They were exhausted and the creaking of the doors did not rouse Arthur like it should have, instead he awoke to a howl of pain as Merlin was wrenched out of his grasp by his broken arm. Arthur leapt up and with a growl launched himself at the man who was currently manhandling his friend into manacles. He didn't see the other guards, although somewhere in the back of his mind he knew they had to be there, it seemed Cenred hadn't been lying when he said he would increase their tormentors. In any case, it didn't matter, he never made it to the man shackling up Merlin, who continued to cry out in pain as the cuffs were clasped too tightly around the swollen arm, because one of his friends blindsided him. The prince was taken down quickly and soon found himself in the familiar chains across the room from Merlin who by the time he looked up, was trying to steady his breathing and will the tears not to fall.

Then all the movement stopped. Both of them were chained and seemingly left to wait, for the king no doubt. And he was taking his time coming to see them this morning. Eventually, he graced the room with his presence.

"Good morning, my pets." A wide smile plastered on his face. "Did you have a good night? I would imagine with that arm, it probably wasn't very comfortable." The king turned to the servant, "maybe next time, you won't be as inclined to listen to your master's plans." Merlin just turned his head down, "oh not so outspoken now are we? It took a less time to break you than you originally led me to believe. Have you thought about what you wish to tell me?" Gripping his chin, Cenred wrenched Merlin's head upward to force him to look him in the eye. Still not trusting his voice, Merlin did the only thing he could think to do; he spit in the king's face. Arthur couldn't help but smile at the resistance.

"Have it your way." The king fumed before leaving the room followed by a few of his guards, leaving Arthur and Merlin to their fate.

The first blow came without warning. Merlin cried out, he had given up on staying quiet; instead he seemed to be focusing on doing anything to keep from begging. What he was actually doing was doing anything to stay awake; he had to keep these men away from Arthur. And as the blows continued to fall the men didn't say anything they just hit him. They didn't ask any questions, they didn't want any information, they just wanted to cause pain. Thankfully, they had not gone to anything beyond fists and boots and the fact that Arthur was actually praising that made him sick to his stomach.

He saw every hit and he felt every one like a boot to his stomach. After one particularly hard hit, Arthur heard a muffled crack and he knew that the heavy fist had broken a rib. If it was possible, Merlin cried out even louder, tears rolling down his cheeks. Arthur started to scream.

"Stop!"

Hit.

"Please stop!"

Hit.

"You'll kill him!" He was pulling at the chains around his arms, he could feel the cold metal digging into his wrists but he couldn't bring himself to care. He continued to yell and continued to pull, desperately trying to reach his struggling friend.

He caught Merlin's eye shortly before the man's fluttered closed.

That spurred Arthur on, praying that he had just passed out and not that he had witnessed his friend's death, Arthur continued to yell and curse at the guards.

"Dammit stop! He's had enough you bastards!"

Two more hits.

"Hit me, release me and I'll fight! I'll kill you both!"

Apparently, the lack of screaming ended the session because after what seem liked it should have been days, the blows stopped. The guards tired of their prey and not a moment too soon, Merlin was hanging limp in the chains. He hadn't reacted to the last few hits. Arthur was well aware he was crying, he could taste the salt on his lips but he couldn't bring himself to care. He remembered when he had told Merlin that he should cry for no man and now he was wondering why he ever thought that was a valiant sentiment. He had just watched his friend beaten for the better part of a day, watched as blow after blow hit his unprotected body, been forced to listen as he screamed out in pain with every hit but never once asked for mercy. That was valiant and that pain deserved tears. As the men moved toward Merlin to unshackle him Arthur caught one of the men's eye and he noticed something akin to fascination, apparently they had not thought his skinny manservant would have been able to last a day let alone a four. Pressing this advantage, Arthur did something he rarely even thought to do, he begged. He didn't threaten or coerce. He knew they would unshackle Merlin, allowing him to hit the ground without any kind of support and he didn't know if he could watch that, so he begged.

"Please," the man whose eye he had caught turned to him, "please, let me down first, let me help him." The other, younger guard turned to sneer at him. "Seems like we picked the wrong whelp, should have started with the princeling, he seems easier to break than this scrawny thing." He ended the statement with a quick shot to Merlin's ribs, causing the boy to gasp and try to curl away from the pain in his unconsciousness.

Choosing to ignore him, Arthur looked back to the older man, "Please, I'm begging you, let me go first."

Seeming to consider it, "If you try anything boy…" The threat hung in the air.

"I won't, please just let me help him." Thankfully, the guard Arthur was speaking to held the keys and he reversed his route, moving over to Arthur he warily unlocked the shackles and watched as the Prince's hands fell to his sides. "Go on then." He said gesturing over to Merlin.

Arthur walked over to his friend and placed his hands under his arms so he could gently guide him down after the manacles were released. He knew he would have to take all of his weight, what little it was, the time in the cells was wearing on him already and his skinny body was boney now. The guard released the chains and Merlin fell, thankfully Arthur was there this time. He lowered him gently to the floor and then, just like he had the last few nights, pulled him against his chest and resolved to keep him there until he woke up.

Looking up at the guard, he nodded his thanks, and was surprised when the guard spoke again. "Food will be sent down to you tonight. Make sure to get him to eat some."

"Merlin, you need to wake up." He mumbled to his servant, his hand coming to rest in the raven hair, stroking it back repeatedly, hoping that it was a calming gesture.

**Now that you have had some whump for the day...enjoy the rest of it :) Let me know if you think this is a bit much, I do have some more coming and if it is seeming to overtake the story please tell me...its my first time doing anything this dark!**

**Thank you so much for all the support.**

**-Angel**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this took a bit longer than some of the other ones but I've been working on job applications and those take much longer than I originally thought. Thanks for being patient and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Previously,

_Merlin, you need to wake up." He mumbled to his servant, his hand coming to rest in the raven hair, stroking it back repeatedly, hoping that it was a calming gesture._

* * *

Arthur was starting to worry, Merlin had been out of it for a few hours now and the Prince was hoping that did not mean that something else was wrong. He continued to stroke his friend's unruly hair, willing Merlin into consciousness when he heard the door creak open, causing him to unconsciously pull his friend closer to his chest. Only this time they were not coming to cause pain, it was the guard from before, the one who had taken pity on them. He brought in a tray of food. Arthur almost hugged the man when he realized it was some kind of broth and water, something Merlin could eat and hopefully keep down with not too much trouble. Now he just needed him to wake up. Until that point, the Prince was left alone with his increasingly traitorous thoughts.

When Merlin finally returned to the land of the conscious, the soup had long since gone cold. He woke with a start after what Arthur could only assume was a horrendous dream. He tried to jerk in the Prince's arms but Arthur held him steady.

"Relax, Merlin, its me. I've got you."

"Arthur?" He managed to croak out, his voice hoarse from screaming.

"Thank the gods," Arthur whispered, "Try not to move too much." Then he realized that was probably not the best comment to make because of the one he had to follow with. "I need you to relax for a moment, they brought in food earlier and I need to get it."

At the mention of food, Merlin's stomach rebelled and the look on his face told Arthur all he needed to know but like usual his mouth needed to add something, "I'm not hungry Arthur. You can have it." His master waited for a sarcastic remark about his weight, disappointed when one was not forthcoming. All of the thoughts from when Merlin was unconscious came screaming back to the forefront of his mind and he couldn't help but think that his friend would not make it out of this if it continued. So he ploughed on,

"I know you don't feel like eating but you have to put something in your stomach whenever it's available. Plus its broth and water, you should be able to keep that down. So relax because I'm going to lay you down, any tension will hurt."

Exhausted, Merlin simply nodded his agreement and when Arthur felt him slump back into his arms he started to get up. Slowly pushing Merlin off his chest, he laid him down on the ground and got up to get the broth.

After taking a few steps toward the food, Arthur turned back to face his servant, an apologetic look on his face, "I order you to tell Cenred something."

Merlin's face went a few shades whiter, a feat in itself because of how pale he already was, but he bit back, "You've been thinking again haven't you Arthur? You really should leave that to me, it's not your strong suit." He paused for a moment to suppress a groan as the wounds pulled when he shifted, showing how much pain he was in when Arthur was clearly doubting himself would not solve the situation, so he added, "I must say I'm glad your got your sense of humor back. I was beginning to worry."

"I'm serious, Merlin. They will kill you. If you do not tell them something, they will kill you. I don't care if its something that you heard in a meeting or a passage you know of but you have to say something." The implied _I don't want you to die_ was ringing loudly through the cell.

"No, Arthur." He stated simply.

"Why not, Merlin? Why won't you do this if it could save you? You're not a knight, you don't have to go through this."

Merlin's head hurt, scratch that, his entire body felt like it was on fire, he just wanted to sleep and Arthur was not helping. It was clear that his normal sarcasm was not working, so it was not his fault how harsh his responding snap was, "Why don't you tell Cenred something? He asked you as well."

Arthur hung his head at the statement, of course Merlin was right, he could easily do something to stop this, assuming Cenred would listen, "I…I can't do that Merlin. I can't betray my kingdom." A look of shame was present on the Prince's face when he met Merlin's eye, "Even for my friend." If it hadn't been for the gravity of the situation, Merlin would have realized this was the first time Arthur actually referred to him as a friend.

"And I can't betray my home or my family. I can't betray you." Merlin awkwardly fought to sit himself up to make his point, grimacing as he knocked the broken arm, "I will not say anything to protect myself Arthur, I won't do it and I don't expect you to say anything either. I would never forgive you if you did. The only thing that can be done is escape."

Having said all his exhausted body allowed him to say, Merlin slumped back against the wall and Arthur couldn't help but stare for a moment at his friend. He looked horrible to say the least. His broken arm was cradled gingerly across his stomach and his clothes, baggy to begin with, were starting to hang on his frame. The bright bruise that had blossomed across his cheek was a maddening deep blue-tinged-purple that stood out all the more with the porcelain-like appearance of his skin. But still, the comments he was making seemed to disagree with his haggard and drained appearance. Arthur knew he was in pain and he knew it was his fault but he also knew they could not give in. Merlin was right, there were a great many people who were depending on him, on the both of them, and he had to listen to what his friend was saying. Still, even Merlin's confidence could not keep him from making a promise to himself as he bent down to retrieve the food, the gods help him, they would get out of this place, both of them, alive. Merlin was right, he needed to focus on something that was useful.

With his back still to his friend, Arthur muttered, "Why can't you just be a normal servant?" Thinking it was a quiet enough question, until Merlin sniped back, "You would get bored and you know it." Arthur couldn't help but chuckle at the statement, it was true.

"Don't get too big of a head, Merlin. Your still a horrible servant."

"Maybe, but I keep you on your toes." His corresponding laugh was cut short by a grimace as he jostled something that was broken or bruised.

Then Arthur turned serious again, "I will get you out of here Merlin, I promise."

Not wanting Arthur to wallow again, Merlin turned back to insulting, "I still say you should leave that to me. Planning and thought are not in your skill set, and you are not very useful to me if your brain explodes."

Arthur desperately wanted something to throw at his friend, but not even he was that cruel, so he simply resolved to force him to eat something. And if Merlin noticed that Arthur gave him most of the water and more than half the broth he didn't say anything. That in itself spoke volumes because normally Merlin would have forced Arthur to take more than his share. The lack of resistance was not lost on the Prince. Merlin could hide most of the time, but Arthur was much more observant than the servant gave him credit for, they needed a way out quickly.

* * *

As the guards stomped into the room, Arthur looked up from where he was sitting, Merlin's head resting on his shoulder. He was tired but he was going to fight, if Merlin could continue to do so, so could he. But he never got the chance because as soon as the customary guards stormed in, Morgause, the witch who had once almost changed his mind about magic, swept in behind them. As soon as she stepped foot in the room a spell was already rolling off her tongue, her eyes flashing a dangerous gold. Before Arthur had a chance to question what the spell was, Merlin screamed. But it was quickly cut off as he bit hard down on his tongue. His magic was screaming to the forefront, keeping the pain at bay. Unfortunately, he knew he would weaken quickly.

Arthur watched as Merlin's eyes snapped open and his body started to convulse. The first couple jerks saw his head smash into the wall behind him followed by a scream that was quickly muted. The Prince could see the blood starting to drip from his tightly closed mouth and knew the reason for the sudden quiet. Reacting instinctually, the Prince grabbed hold of his friend and pulled him away from the wall and into his grasp. He held Merlin steady until the fit passed and he knew without looking that it was because Morgause had allowed it to end. He held Merlin close as the whimpering started. The witch took in the scene and started to laugh,

"Do you wish to know about this spell?" She paused for effect but was aware she would get no response. "Its simple really. It allows me to control the level of pain he feels without actually causing any physical damage." In a demonstration, she flashed her eyes and the convulsions started again but at a much-diminished rate, Arthur held tightly. She muttered quietly to herself and the fits began again, much like they had when she first walked in. "Trust me when I tell you Prince Arthur, that even when the spell has ended, he is still feeling the pain. There are many who have been driven mad by this sort of treatment. I do hope you don't allow it to continue for very long." She teased. As she said this, the jerking stopped and Merlin relaxed back into the Prince's arms. Glazed blue eyes caught Arthur's for a moment, a look of profound sadness was contained there and Arthur suddenly knew it was not because of the pain he was in, but the pain that the Prince was about to see. That was when Arthur felt multiple sets of strong arms pulling at him. Using the anger that was bubbling under the surface, he swung as soon as they pulled Merlin away from him. The hit connected solidly with one of the guards as the others continued to pull him over to the chains. A second guard felt his fury as he too dropped hard. The Prince was seething, fighting desperately to get back to the person on the floor and he wasn't expecting to feel his body betray him. Instantly he froze, he could feel the pulse of magic on him and knew Morgause had stepped in.

"Now Prince Arthur, you might want to behave. At this point I don't think you want to anger me." She punctuated her statement with the spell again and again Merlin began to jerk on the floor. Morgause allowed her face to fall in a mockery of disappointment while Merlin twitched on the ground, "Once again I find myself besting you Prince Arthur. How does it feel to once be beaten by a woman and the sword and the next time beaten by a Priestess of the Old Religion and magic?" Arthur kept his mouth shut; honestly he wasn't sure if he could speak if he wanted to, his attention was drawn to his friend instead. Morgause noticed the look, "Oh don't worry, this is just a little pain, it will get much worse." Then turning to the guards, "He won't fight this time, chain him up."

Once the guards were finished, she walked over to him, "It seems I am the better in every way. Let's see which one of us will allow the suffering to stop the soonest, I'm betting that it will be you to attempt first." Smiling sweetly, she turned to her prey.

* * *

Merlin could feel his control weakening. He was trying desperately to keep the pain at bay and for the most part it was working, he could feel himself shaking but the pain that he knew was lurking just above his skin waiting to burn him alive, was trapped there. What he didn't know how much longer he could sustain himself in that limbo. There was a nagging feeling at the base of his skull that told him that it would not take much more effort from the witch to break him. He finally was able to focus his eyes and saw the guards chaining up Arthur to the customary point in the ceiling and he couldn't help the wave of relief that washed over him, Arthur wouldn't have to feel the bite of the magic. Morgause was talking to him, taunting him about something when she turned back toward the secret warlock on the floor. A little smile set on her lips before she muttered the spell in conjunction with some other words, Merlin readied himself for an incantation much like what she had been casting, however when the power of the spell smashed into him he realized how weak he really was. The fire of the spell broke through what little defense he had left, allowing the rippling pain from earlier to hit him with its full force and it was as drastic as a plunge into a pond of icy water. A horrible scream finally made its way past his defenses.

* * *

As the scream tore from his lips, it shredded through Arthur. Nothing in the world could be more horrible than the sound of his friend screaming, no shrieking, in pain. It was animalistic. It was the harshest sound the Prince had ever heard. Never before on any battlefield or in any story had he heard or imagined a bawl as desperate as what he had just heard come from Merlin. His response was on his lips before his brain even had time to process he was saying anything. The worst part was, when his mind finally did catch up, it realized he was screaming in order to be heard over the continuous howls of his friend.

"Stop! No! Please! I'll tell you anything, just please stop!" The traitorous truth made its way from his brain to his mouth and as much as he wanted to force himself to snap his teeth shut on his tongue, a decent-sized (much too big for what he should really be thinking) part of his brain told him that he was doing the right thing in pleading for this particular torture to stop.

"I'm sorry, _Prince_ Arthur. What was that?" Morgause released Merlin from the spell long enough to finish her question, leaving the boy panting on the floor, scrunched into a small ball. "I couldn't hear you over the sound of this weaklings screams. Did you have something to say?" Her voice was sickly sweet and the undercurrent of hatred and anger was enough to make Arthur's blood go cold. But now he could only feel the need to end it, to protect his friend against the pain that would never end, "Please, stop…I'll," Arthur swallowed hard, betraying his kingdom was not an easy task, "…I'll tell…" and the witch's eyes flashed again, sending Merlin into another fit, every bit as horrible as the last. His screams again drown out the rest of Arthur's confession and he was left to watch as another scream was torn from his friend's abused throat.

"Stop! Please stop! I'll talk. Stop!" But his pleas feel on deaf ears, for some reason Arthur got the feeling that this session had nothing to do with getting any information about Camelot. He could do nothing but listen as his best friend was slowly driven out of his mind with pain. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt a few tears slowly track down his face. This was horrendous.

* * *

Merlin was in a world of blinding light but instead of just making it difficult to open his eyes, it felt as though it was cutting into every place on his body. The light was worse than the knives and the fists, the light was worse than every nightmare he had ever had about being burned at the stake. It was the epitome of evil. But it wasn't just the fact that it was attacking his body. The hateful magic was attacking his mind and his magic. He could feel the foul force as it affected his power, his life-force, and it took everything in him to simply keep the magic at bay but not fight back. But that only lasted the first couple of times she used the spell. After that the pain and the weakness he felt from the other sessions took their toll and he was reduced to writhing on the floor trying to escape a pain that seemed to be emanating from the very center of his soul. He was aware he was screaming, he had heard Arthur yelling about something but the blood pounding in his ears and the light shrieking into his head kept him from understanding his Prince. He could only hope that Arthur would find a way to make it stop. And it did, for a moment. Merlin felt the magic leave him. The hatefulness was gone. And then as quickly as it stopped, it started again. His back arched as every muscle in his body contracted and another scream was forced out of airless lungs. He would lose himself in the pain if this lasted much longer, of that he was certain.

* * *

Then the screaming stopped, Arthur knew that Morgause had let him go and there was a powerful relief that flooded through him at the thought. The witch turned to him, a smug look on her face, "I'm sorry Arthur, I believe you were trying to say something before."

Arthur pretended to think for a moment, he couldn't give anything away, not now, not after all Merlin had gone through the keep quiet at this point, "No Morgause, I believe you heard wrong. I have nothing to say to you other than to confirm the fact that you are the reason why people think, myself included, that magic is inherently evil."

"Oh, Arthur Pendragon," her tone was patronizing, "if only you knew the chain of events that drove me here, you would not be so quick to condemn me as the evil one." She had conviction on her side and there was no way she could see any different.

"All I see is a witch torturing an innocent man for information because she wants to hurt other innocent people. That, I believe, is the definition of evil." Arthur had his own convictions.

Her anger flared at this accusation, "Your father has done the same thing for years! I am not the creator of this type of torture; I am the creation of it. I have seen many innocent people tortured by your father, and now I am using his own tactics against him. I am not evil Prince Arthur, you with your blind hatred and unfounded superiority, are evil." She turned from him for a moment before swirling back, "You think that just because you care for the life of your servant that you are a better person than me, but I want to know, would you be as quick to sacrifice your kingdom for some other, nameless servant. Would that torture affect you in the same way?" Arthur didn't have an answer to that and for the moment he had to chew the information over he realized that he probably wouldn't. He would care of course, would feel the pain but he would not reveal secrets for them.

"You, Arthur Pendragon, are not the better person. You are as callous as your King." She pivoted on her heel and headed back to Merlin.

* * *

She released her hold and Merlin felt such an intense relief flood his body that the abused and tensed muscles did not ache, even his broken arm was not a problem, yet. She was talking to Arthur again but there was no way Merlin could make out what she was saying, instead he focused on slowing his racing heart and getting his uneven breathing under control. It took much longer than he intended or wanted but eventually, he was able to gain some semblance of control over his rebelling functions. However, after he had managed that, the pain of his contracted muscles hit him and he couldn't help the groan that passed his lips at the intense, bodily pain that was now assaulting his mind. Then he saw Morgause stalk back toward him and for once in his life, he tried desperately to shrink away from her. He couldn't deal with the pain anymore and she noticed it,

"Oh what's this then? It seems like you are finally afraid of me. Where's that defiance I've heard so much of from the King? Pity. I was hoping that it would take longer to break you."

Realizing his mistake, Merlin tried to come up with something to say back, something that let her know she hadn't won, but the best his pain-addled mind would let him come up with was, "I was getting into a more comfortable position." His voice sounded harsh and weak to his own ears.

Leaning down toward him she simply smiled, "Good." Then her eyes flashed again and he knew nothing more than pain.

* * *

After what seemed to be an eternity, Arthur could not contain his frustration any longer, screaming at the top of his lungs he tried interrogating the witch,

"Why are you doing this?" Arthur snapped; his nerves were fried, shot to hell, slowly pulled apart with every flash of Morgause's eyes. She turned to face him, apparently that she had heard.

"Excuse me?" Her icy blue eyes bore into Arthur's but he felt a flash of relief and strength because she was finally focusing on him instead of Merlin who was whimpering quietly in the middle of the floor.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you hurting him? You're not asking me anything!" He desperately wanted to understand, wanted to know why she wouldn't listen when he tried to give her something, anything.

"Because hurting him hurts you and I do love to watch you squirm. You were simple to break, all it would take now is one question from me and you would be jumping to save your _friend_ pain. That truth makes it so much more interesting to break someone who is as…persistent…as your servant."

"So you're torturing him because you can, because its…fun."

"You don't seem comfortable with that answer, Arthur. Let's call it revenge then. Merlin has…interrupted…my plans too many times, this…bit of fun, is his reward."

Arthur was trying to wrap his head around what the witch was telling him. What plans had Merlin ruined? How had his bumbling manservant managed to do anything that would corrupt the plans of a witch when he couldn't even figure out the washing? Suddenly, Arthur couldn't help but wonder of what else Merlin was capable. All his thoughts were vocalized in one word, "Ruined?", but it was laced with an incredulity and wonder that Arthur could not help but keep out of his voice.

Morgause, for her part, seemed to be exasperated. As much as she hated Merlin for his part in Morgana's poisoning, this little prat of a prince was an insufferable blockhead who could not understand what was so apparent to others. She wanted to tell him, to let him know how insignificant he was, shown up by a mere servant but she didn't want to give the man on the floor the satisfaction or give Arthur Morgana's name in all this. So she settled with, "You have no idea what goes on in your own palace, do you?" Her cold eyes bore into his, slitting in a threatening way, "You have no idea what this snake," she punctuated her words with a spell that sent Merlin into another fit, "has done for you and so you can let him take all this punishment." Her words were a challenge, they were a threat, and they were an insult. Arthur heard them but could not process what she was telling him. He could only stare at the boy curled in the center of the room, trying to escape the all-encompassing pain. Suddenly, Arthur needed to get out of his chains. Morgause picked up on his desperation and decided to see how far this ridiculous protective streak would go.

"Release him." She ordered to the guard closest to her.

"Milady, is that a good idea?"

She rounded on him, "Are you questioning me?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously and the man made contact with the wall behind him. She turned to the next guard, "Release him."

Oddly enough, this man did exactly as he was asked. As he was releasing Arthur, she turned to the last two in the room and gesturing down to the man on the floor order, "Bring him."

Arthur felt the pressure on his arms release and while everyone was moving out of the room, he was moving to the crumple of limbs in the center of it all.

"Ar..th.."

"I'm here Merlin." Arthur slowly started gathering him into his arms again, unaware that their tormentors had not left the room. He looked down at the broken man in his grasp. Laying his forehead against Merlin's he whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"Everything hu..rts…I w…w..ant to sl…eep." He was shaking in his arms and Arthur quickly picked up his hunting jacket from the floor and draped it over the quaking form. "Sleep Merlin, you'll feel better when you wake." That's when he heard Morgause's cackle. His eyes snapped to her's and he realized the door to their cell was open.

"You really are pathetic, _Prince_ Arthur," his title was an insult on her lips, "he's a servant whose going to die anyway. You could have made a run for it, you wouldn't have gotten very far but I would expect a knight of Camelot to at least attempt escape. Instead you fuss over a dying man, a worthless servant. What would your precious king say if he saw you now?"

Backing out of the cell, the door slammed shut behind her, her insult ringing through Arthur's mind but was unable to overtake the anger at Morgause's claim that Merlin was worthless. Suddenly, he was remembering his father saying those same words. Pulling Merlin closer he rocked him gently whispering words of encouragement and promises he wasn't sure he would be able to keep. It was only after the blue eyes opened that he made the statement he had been mulling over since this all began, "Merlin, you are the bravest man I have ever met."

* * *

**So there is chapter 4, I wanted to make sure I included Morgause in this one because I feel like she was allied with Cenred for most of this and she would always be ready to hurt the people who hurt Morgana. **

**I hope Arthur wasn't too OOC, I worry about that a little bit because I am writing something that never really was seen on the show so I'm not 100% sure how the writers would have him react but I'm hoping this at least seems pretty accurate. **

**Well I'm off to go bike riding, I hope you've enjoyed the chapter :)**

**Have a good day!**

**-Lily**


	5. Chapter 5

**So I realized that at the beginning of the last chapter I never said thank you for all the reviews you guys have so awesomely written me so...THANK YOU! I wanted to get you a pretty quick chapter to say thank you and it is the longest one I've done so far so I hope its not too cumbersome. I hope you enjoy!**

Previously,

_It was only after the blue eyes opened that he made the statement he had been mulling over since this all began, "Merlin, you are the bravest man I have ever met." _

* * *

Arthur wasn't even sure if Merlin had heard the compliment because his eyelids slid closed and his breathing evened out as soon as the comment crossed his lips. Leave it to Merlin to fall asleep as the Prince of Camelot was giving him praise.

* * *

For a while, Arthur just held his unconscious friend. He was still shivering and the Prince was trying desperately to warm him up. They had been sitting in the same position for a while when the door was wedged open. Knowing it was entirely too soon for another session, Arthur prayed that it was food and water. Thankfully, his prayers were answered when the guard from before brought in another tray. It seems like Cenred was worried about them dying of starvation because he had included a couple pieces of bread, two bowls of a thin stew, and a few bowls of water.

The bread would be a no for Merlin, Arthur doubted that he would be able to swallow anything for a few days; the Prince would be surprised if his friend was even able to talk for the next few days. He was in the middle of trying to figure out how to get Merlin awake and eating when the man cried out in pain. Arthur immediately looked down at his face, he was still sleeping but something was hurting him. He was suddenly worried that Morgause's statement that the pain would last was more truth than bravado. He needed Merlin to wake up. That was the only way he would be able to check on him properly. But try as he might, he could not get his friend to wake, so he settled for looking over his injuries while he was unconscious. The more he thought about it, it might save Merlin some pain to do so. Now he just had to figure out what in the disgustingly long list of wounds would be the best to start with.

He knew that he could not do anything to help him with what Morgause had done or anything to protect the broken arm but knew that the bandages on his shoulder should have been changed a few days ago. He knew that the other knife wounds were shallow enough that they had already started to heal and that puncture was the problem. Arranging the jacket so that he could get at the wound without uncovering him, Arthur removed the bandage and was horrified by what he saw. The skin around the hole was red and puckered; a good amount of dirt had been ground under the bandage and into the injury. It was infected. Pouring as much water as he dared on a relatively clean strip of his undershirt he set about cleaning it. Once he was done, he used a new cloth to wrap it up. Sitting back on his heels, he couldn't hold back a tremor as he realized that if this had been infected for even a day, it could explain the shivering. If Merlin were already running a low fever because he had failed to keep the wound clean, he would need more help than Arthur could give. He needed Gaius.

The shoulder finished, Arthur lifted his shirt to check how badly the convulsing had inflamed the wounds he already had. Once he got a good look, he stomach rolled. Merlin's chest was a map of deep blues; the area around his ribs was black. The worst part was the fact that Arthur could almost see the places where the ribs were broken, his skin was pulled so taunt over his bones. The prince knew he was skinny but the strain that his body was being put through was too much. This needed to end. Arthur needed to figure out a way to kill their guards quickly before any of them could get to Merlin. He needed a solid plan this time, one that would not be so easily squashed as their last failed attempt.

* * *

Merlin eventually woke, nothing Arthur had done had even had an effect, but when the boy did wake they went through the same fight as before with the food.

"Arthur, I can't eat."

"You have to eat something Merlin, your body will stop trying to heal if you don't put something in your stomach."

"You need it more, you prat. You're going to be the one who will have to get us out of here. Besides, I'm sure the food isn't too tasty."

"The taste of the food doesn't matter when you're hungry, I figured you of all people would know that since you tried to serve me rat at one point. Plus, I thought planning and escape was _your_ job. You keep insisting thinking is not my strong suit." He desperately needed the banter; it was the only thing that made the thought of escape feel real so when Merlin responded with, "I don't think I'm currently strong enough to do anything," the situation became very real.

Arthur's dumbfounded remark, "That's why you should eat something, then you will be strong enough to do something," did nothing to warm the chill that had fallen over the room at Merlin's statement.

Still, he managed to get Merlin to eat some of the stew before again allowing himself to be used as a pillow so Merlin could go back to sleep. The man was out before Arthur was even settled. 

* * *

Arthur didn't sleep. He had spent the night trying to come up with a way to get them out of the cell and so far everything he had thought of would never work. The enormity of his failure was hitting him. Rationally, he knew none of this was his fault. Everything that had happened had been the work of a few insane individuals who wanted nothing more than to own something that was not theirs, he and Merlin were caught in the middle of it. But the empathetic and emotional side of his brain (the side he was never too keen on using) was screaming at him to fight, to do something and reminding him all the while that this entire situation was his fault. If he had fought harder, been stronger, listened to his good sense, they would not be in this situation and his friend would not be suffering. Needless to say, he didn't have a plan and while once again he could rationally base that on the psychological and emotional torture coupled with the sleep deprivation they had been undergoing for far too long, the pesky emotional part of his brain said that it was because he was not smart or creative enough to come up with a way. At this point he was doing a better job of torturing himself than the tormentors were.

The Prince settled for again going over the situation in his head, hoping against hope that something would finally jump out at him. The cell itself was useless. It was far to small for him to hide Merlin anywhere and the servant would be the leverage the guards would go for, so he had to figure out how to kill the guards quickly but without any kind of weapon, which would be almost impossible because they always traveled in at least pairs. _Something new…I need something new_. But naturally, the guards chose that moment to make their appearance.

As the door wailed, announcing the incoming visitors, Arthur's stomach dropped. Four men found their way into the room, forming up for a moment before moving toward them. Arthur clutched Merlin closer, daring the guards to come take him and, gathering his feet beneath him, stood up pulling the slowly rousing Merlin with him. He was determined to keep Merlin with him for as long as he could. But the guards seemed to be waiting for someone. In a way that sickened him, Arthur could only hope that they were not waiting on Morgause. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was Cenred that entered the room but a nod from him sent the guards toward the pair. It was not until he had Merlin on his feet that he saw what one of the advancing men was gripping.

* * *

The first thing Merlin noticed, outside of the fact that his entire body was screaming in pain, was that his sense of balance was slowly, and deliberately, being thrown off. Someone was lifting him up but not in the callous way he had gotten used to being moved, this was much more gentle. His first thought was that they had been rescued, or he was dead, either one held merit at this point. It wasn't until he opened his eyes that he realized they were still trapped in the dank cell and Arthur was the one lifting him. Struggling to stand on his own, Merlin turned slowly to face his Prince and remind him that none of this was his fault, when he saw Arthur's eyes widen. Knowing that could not have been a good sign, he turned around and felt an icy fear grip his throat, threatening to strangle him. He took a step back toward Arthur and found that at the same time the Prince was moving to position himself between his servant and the cruel looking whip that had suddenly materialized in the meaty hand of the thug.

* * *

The guard that seemed to be the ringleader addressed the Prince while the King waited in the shadows like the scavenger he was,

"Come on now Princess, don't make us grab him like we had to before. I don't know if there are any more bones in that arm to break."

The ringleader watched as the Prince glanced back at his servant and as the servant went whiter than any snow he had ever seen. He couldn't help but grin, displaying his rotten teeth. The Prince noticed and took a step toward them while the servant stayed back; the protection was an odd thing to see from a noble, but he was beginning to understand some of the comments the other guards had made.

"The King says we are supposed to let you alone but I'm sure he don't mind it if we have to knock you 'round a bit, so move out of the way and let us get on with our job, nice and simple."

"Job…" Arthur managed to croak out, "your _job_ is to beat innocent people?"

"Yes, your highness," the title slithered off his tongue, "it is and I would like to get back to it." Anger flared in Arthur's chest and he knew he would keep Merlin behind him for as long as he could. Velod sauntered over to the Prince as he took on a defense stance. This seemed to signal something to the other guards because they started to move as well.

Arthur's body was vibrating with anger, he wanted to take each one of these men apart and he knew he could do so; he just had to keep Merlin safe. The first man that reached him had a fist connect solidly with him jaw but instantly Arthur knew this fight would be his loss. The man did not fall; the hit had not been strong enough. Arthur was not strong enough. The man recovered and again the three advanced on him while the fourth went after Merlin. Again, he swung and connected but the man only backed off slightly. Then, a cry rang through the air that was abruptly cut off by a strangled sound. Arthur twisted around in time to see the whipping boy with his huge hand curled around Merlin's throat and judging by the way Merlin's eyes were bulging he had started to constrict his grip.

"Give it up princeling," Velod threatened, "or I might have to let Norag strangle the useless runt. For whatever reason, you seem to care…"

Just like he knew he had to, Arthur stopped fighting and allowed himself to be lead to the chains, a solid weight settling into his stomach and a black veil falling over his mind. They would die here, and they would die horribly.

The guard the leader had called Norag was trussing Merlin up in his chains but not before pulling his shirt up around his shoulders to allow the whip to cut only flesh, and to apparently display the handiwork of the guards themselves. Again Arthur was forced to look at the state of Merlin's chest and he felt bile rising in his throat as he took in the sight of his friend. This was happening because of him.

The ringleader was standing in front of him while Norag positioned himself in front of Merlin, whip uncoiled. Oddly, Cenred had yet to say anything.

"I suggest the next time you think to protect your servant, don't. Norag, the boys, and me, we don't like being held up by arrogant prats like yourself. Unfortunately for your servant, he'll be paying for your shortcomings." Velod laughed, a sinister sound that echoed as the man spun Merlin in the chains; apparently they wanted the Prince to see the punishment as it happened. He watched the first lash fall.

Merlin cried out when the cowhide bit into his flesh and Arthur pulled on the chains stuck fast around his wrists. Wrists that he knew were raw and bloody, he could feel the cold metal digging into the nerves in his wrist. Still he could not bring himself to care, it wasn't anything compared to what was going on across the room.

* * *

The first lash cracked and Merlin's world erupted in pain, again. He wanted so desperately to beg, to figure out a way to make it all end that still left him mostly in his right mind but he was not sure he had the energy to form the thoughts necessary to plead with the guards. Crack. He tried to think of something he could tell them, a convincing lie would be enough but he could not even do that. Crack. He had been lying for the last five years and he couldn't come up with one now, when he desperately needed it. Crack. Each time the whip fell he tried to cried out but the cries were muted now, even his voice was feeling the pain. Crack. He was praying for unconsciousness as the first tears since this entire ordeal had begun, worked their way down his dirt stained face.

* * *

Arthur saw every lash in vivid detail. He heard as Merlin's screams went hoarse and his own calls overtook the desperate cries of his friend. His anger bubbled to the surface and he needed an outlet so naturally the king provided the perfect one.

"Cenred!" The Prince bellowed. "Cenred, stop this!"

The King slithered out of his shadows a smile plastered on his face, "Why would I wish to do that Arthur? After all, you didn't ask nicely." So that was his game, he wanted Arthur to beg, to grovel before he denied his request.

His defiance flared for a few more of Merlin's muted cries until the sight of his flayed and torn back made the emotional part of his brain start talking,

"Please stop this, Cenred." He implored.

The King's sickening smile brightened, "Begging are we? Morgause mentioned that you might be more willing to negotiate after what happened yesterday. But this only stops when you have something to tell me." He looked at the Prince expectantly, "Well…"

The Prince bit his tongue, Merlin had told him he would never forgive him if he betrayed anything but then again, if he died Arthur would never forgive himself. A dead Merlin was the only thing more unacceptable than a wounded Merlin. He knew he couldn't think up a lie fast enough so maybe something that just was not as valuable or maybe something outdated. The Prince was racking his brain when a different, all-together stronger cry echoed through the cell, demanding the attention of the Prince and King.

* * *

Merlin's mind was not functioning, he couldn't force himself to think through the pain and he found everything so narrowed that he wasn't sure why he was still awake. He was desperately wishing he would pass out; he needed to be free of the agony. He knew he was somewhere around the fifteenth lash and he knew that Arthur was yelling for him but that was about it. _At least_, he thought, _Arthur hasn't given anything away._ If the Prince had, this probably would have stopped long ago.

That's when he felt his magic beginning to well up. It had been doing that throughout their time in the cell but this was the first time he felt his hold on it slipping. He fought it, trying to claw his way back in control and he almost had it…then he felt the golden burn behind his eyelids. For once, he was infinitely thankful that he was facing away from Arthur. He tried to rein in the result and for the most part he thought he managed until his tormentor screamed in pain. The whip had cracked but Merlin realized he had not felt its bite. However, his torturer was not so lucky. His magic had guided the whip back toward the owner and it snapped him in the face. The guards, and even the king, seemed to find the situation hilarious. His bully didn't find it so funny. He grabbed hold of Merlin and spun him around, "This…this is your fault." Merlin shrank back away from the man with the bleeding face and the murderous growl.

Arthur's ire chose to speak up, looking past the King he addressed the oaf with the whip, "How can it be his fault?" he fumed, he was afraid where the guard's anger would lead. He pulled forward on his chains, trying to attract the attention of Norag, "You've had him shackled to the ceiling, his back to you this entire time. It is not his fault that you are a failure. It's not his fault you snapped yourself!" Throughout the exchange, the laughter of the rest of the group swelled. Norag rounded on the Prince, "perhaps you would like a chance to feel the bite of the whip?"

"That's enough, Norag." Cenred addressed him the smile still plastered on his face, "in this instance the Prince is correct. You have brought this damage on yourself. Not even you could be stupid enough to think that two chained prisoners would be able to whip you in the face."

Cenred took a moment to compose himself before looking at the Prince, "Your servant continues to suffer and I can see how it affects you yet I cannot understand why you do not stop it. Do not fool yourself into thinking that someone will find you, I have plenty of agents who are watching the borders of Camelot, I will know well before anyone gets close to this place. You're only choice is to give me some useful information. Just remember, no one who is friendly to you will even have the chance to find you. I will have bandages and water sent down to you, as much as I hate to admit it, that boy is worth much more alive."

Turning to his guards, "Release them, we are done for the day."

* * *

Merlin felt the wounds protesting on his back as his arms dropped, he felt the sting of the bandaged shoulder as it groaned against the return of blood flow, and he felt his broken arm as it returned quickly and boneless to his side, but none of it was more agonizing than the fact that he had just lost control of his magic in front of Arthur and the crazy king who had allied himself with Morgause. Never had he thought he would come to the point where he could not govern his magic. And that consuming thought sent him to his knees, his eyes wide with fear. If he did not tell Arthur about his power, he might find out in an all-together different way, a way that might end in not only his death but also with the Prince's hatred. Gulping down the lump that had suddenly taken up residence in his throat, Merlin realized that he needed to tell Arthur his secret and hope that the Prince had grown up enough to deal with it.

Then the Prince was at his side and he needed to push those thoughts out of the way for now.

"Merlin!" A reassuring hand found its way to his shoulder, holding him securely, grounding him, before his thoughts could knock him over. Arthur took his unsteadiness as pain-induced, "It's alright Merlin, its over," the Prince added soothingly.

* * *

Arthur helped Merlin lay down gingerly on the floor, careful not to jar any of the injuries, and covered him up with the hunting jacket, his dirty shirt balled under his head as an impromptu pillow. Arthur had pointed out that putting a dirty shirt over fresh wounds was about the best way to ensure a worse infection. The water and bandages had been delivered as promised and Arthur had began to carefully clean each laceration, his gentle ministrations lulled Merlin to sleep, or at least as close as he could get given the pain.

Once his back had been cleaned Arthur looked it over one last time before setting to work on the bandages, his goal was to keep as many as he could in order to change them as often as he could. The Prince knew that many of the places where the whip had crossed itself would need stitching and therefore take much longer to clot but he did what he could to stop the bleeding, eventually getting it all under control. He carefully bandaged the wounds and gripped Merlin's uninjured shoulder to get his attention. The younger man's eyes flickered open and the pain-glazed look shook the Prince but still he continued,

"Merlin, I'm going to look at your shoulder but in order to do that I'm going to have to flip you over. I've done what I could for the lash marks and they're clean for now but that shoulder was infected last I looked at it, I need to do something while we've got clean water."

For as hard as he was trying to concentrate, Merlin only got a bit of that, mostly what he heard was the regret in Arthur voice that must have resulted from the fact that what he was about to do would cause pain to some degree. But Merlin trusted him and so nodded his understanding.

* * *

The future king pause for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to maneuver his friend then decided that about the only position he could hold him in was upright. Hopefully, that would also help some of the blood to start clotting on the higher lash marks but he had to make sure he went slowly or he would hurt Merlin and destroy the bandaging he had just done. Miraculously, he managed to complete his task with minimal jostling. He got Merlin upright and tended to the puncture wound that looked slightly better than it had the night before. Finished, Arthur thought for a moment about the best position to rest him in. The boy was still shivering so the Prince settled for the same method he had been using. Settling back against the wall, he pulled Merlin to him and helped him recline enough to where he could be comfortable and warm. Finally, settled Merlin pushed everything from his mind and tried to sleep.

* * *

After a few hours of sleep, Merlin woke in the same position but his back was only smoldering instead of on complete fire and the rest of his body seemed to have finally gone numb. _Or maybe my magic is finally helping ou…oh_. The memory of what happened earlier hit him hard and he knew that if he did not say something now he would not allow himself another chance. Glancing up he saw that Arthur was awake, a concerned frown distorting his upside-down features.

"Do you feel any better?"

"A bit…tha…thank you for doing that." His voice was rough but he had to get this out, unsure of where to start, he just went with the truth.

"Arthur, I don't know how much longer I can handle this." He cursed the trembling he heard in his voice.

"Don't talk like that. I'll get you out of here I swear it."

"You've been looking for a way out for two weeks, Ar…Arthur, I don't think you're likely to find it in the next couple of days and if they keep up like this I think that's about all I'll have left."

"Don't speak like that Merlin, it will be alright. Three days and we'll be back in Camelot."

The conversation died off there. Each boy lost to his own thoughts, both on escape but with two very different methods. It was Merlin who broke the silence.

"Arthur, do you trust me?"

This was not the question Arthur expected to hear so his reply was just a deadpanned, "Wh…what?"

"I need to know if you trust me."

"Absolutely not," going for the lighthearted approach was not something that Merlin could deal with at this point. "You're always late, you always complain, and you can't ever finish the simplest task…"

"Arthur…stop…" The desperation in his voice was enough to shut the Prince up rather quickly. "I need to know the truth, do you trust me?"

"Yes Merlin, I do, I trust you with my life."

That was the answer he needed to hear and now he was about to test the trust and was hoping that it was not just an answer given to a dying man, "Then I need to tell you something."

The silence that greeted his statement meant that Arthur was going to forgo the quips and listen to what Merlin had to say for once in his life. The only problem was, now that he made that statement the courage he had summoned up had fled.

"Come on Merlin, I answered your question, what is it that you needed to tell me?" It took a few more moments and the sickening thought that what was happening to him now would be happening to Arthur as soon as he died, before he managed to recollect some of his courage. He steeled himself against rejection as he prepared to give up his most closely guarded secret and if Arthur wasn't ready, his life.

"Arthur," Pause.

"Yes Merlin, out with it." The annoyance was noticeable in his voice.

"I…I have magic. I'm a sorcerer." Arthur just stared at him, unsure of what to say but knowing this wasn't true. At the same time, his head was beginning to spin.

"Merlin, why are you saying this? You're not a sorcerer. I've known you for years now, I would know if you were a sorcerer." Merlin felt himself roughly losing his pillow as Arthur got up and started to pace round the room. "It's not possible, why would you come to Camelot? Hell, why would you take the job as my servant if you were a sorcerer?"

"Please tell me this isn't true?" Merlin looked into Arthur's pleading eyes and then had to look away because of the haze of betrayal that was coloring the bright blue.

He continued to fire question after question at the injured warlock, with no space in between for Merlin to even begin to answer. It was eventually a quiet, humorless comment that stopped his tirade,

"You really are a complete prat, even when I'm dying I can't get you to listen to me."

Arthur froze and for the first time since all this had started he actually looked at his friend. It seemed like he had aged ten years in the days they had been captive, his face was ashen and there were black smudges around his eyes from the sleep they had been deprived of. He was cradling his broken arm to his chest, a chest marred with whip, burn, and fist marks from the men who came to visit them on a daily basis, what little was left of his shirt hung loosely around his frame and was dyed a sickening blue, shades darker than its normal color. It was then that Arthur guiltily realized that Merlin had not moved to a more comfortable position after he had roughly gotten up from supporting him. Merlin did not having enough energy to drag his broken body to the wall so he had just collapsed where they had been sitting together. His body was wracked with shivers as he lay on the cold ground, the shaking movement tearing precious energy from his completely exhausted body. Looking at this man who had been suffering at the hands of Cenred and Morgause for far too long he realized Merlin was not evil, the complete opposite. He had taken the attention off Arthur, gotten them to torture him instead, no evil sorcerer; no conniving, backstabbing person would ever go that far. He should have turned on him as soon as they were captured, but he didn't. Arthur's world was currently in a state of disarray but the one simple truth that he could cling to was that Merlin was his friend, loyal to a fault, someone he could trust completely. If he had magic, well then it could not possibly be all evil? So he did the only thing he could possibly do in this situation.

"Show me."

"What?"

"You said you're a sorcerer, show me." And so Merlin did, he did the only thing he could think of because it would be something Arthur remembered. Holding his unbroken arm in front of him, Arthur watched, mesmerized, as a beautiful blue orb floated above his hand. He recognized it and as he looked he realized that he felt a wonderful sense of peace, warmth, and friendship. Merlin had been the one to save him all those years ago, and here he thought he had been the one doing the saving. Then when Merlin's eyes flashed gold again and the blue orb disappeared Arthur felt a distinct lack of warmth and heard uneven, ragged breathing from Merlin. Quickly moving back to his side, he sat the wounded warlock upright, positioned himself behind him and went back to holding him tightly, hoping to reduce some of the shivering and offer comfort at the same time. They sat like this for a while, Merlin collecting his breath and his thoughts through a haze of pain and Arthur trying to sort through this new information. Finally it was Arthur who broke the companionable silence.

"Why are you telling me all this now?"

"I can get you out of here Arthur."

"Well if that's the case, have at it, we'll get this sorted when we're away from this hell hole." But something told Arthur is was not that simple. "What are you not telling me?"

"If I use my magic to escape there is a good chance I won't make it with you and I wanted you to know the truth because to be honest I'm going to make sure you get out, even if it kills me."

All Arthur could do was look at him with another dumbfounded expression, "You're not sacrificing yourself Merlin, we'll find a way to get out of here that does not involve you dying."

"Arthur, I'm already dying. This is the only way out, at least this way death will be on my terms." He pressed on, "if I die before you escape they'll just turn to you and do the same they have been doing to me, I can't let that happen."

Arthur chewed over this information for a moment before promising, "I'm not leaving this place without you Merlin, I swear if you do this I will carry you back to Gaius myself."

* * *

**Well there you have it...I couldn't have done a story like this without a reveal :). I hope it went alright, believable and all that jazz. Things are finally starting to look up for our heroes and they are that much closer to finally getting out. **

**I hope you enjoyed reading and have a good day!**

**-Lily**


	6. Chapter 6

**You guys are absolutely amazing! I very much appreciate the reviews and I am so thrilled that you are enjoying the story. Today, our heroes have to implement their escape plan and Arthur has to figure out what to do with his new knowledge about Merlin. I hope you enjoy the chapter and thank you again for all the reviews, you are awesome!**

_Previously,_

_Arthur chewed over this information for a moment before promising, "I'm not leaving this place without you Merlin, I swear if you do this I will carry you back to Gaius myself." _

* * *

"Just so you know Merlin, this doesn't mean you get off without explaining exactly how you came by these powers, why you thought it was a good idea to practice them in Camelot, and why you lied to me. But for right now, what is this grand escape plan?" There was a clip of anger in his voice that, while masked in concern and false bravado, Merlin was still able to pick out. It was good that it was masked though because it meant Arthur would be mad at him later, that the newly revealed warlock could handle.

Merlin paused, he just knew they had to escape and he knew he could do it with magic but he never really figured out the logistics of the actual escape. "I just presumed it would be my job to knock out the guards in the room, release your chains and then we leave." His head was pounding, almost like his brain was trying to escape from his skull and he couldn't come up with anything better than that.

Arthur just stared at him for a moment; he was waiting for more than that, "We might want to plan it out a little better than that, you idiot. The last time we went with a plan like that you had your arm broken." Arthur was slightly worried by Merlin's _plan_, normally the man took more time to think things through (regardless of what Arthur said he really wasn't an idiot), this level of indecision and thoughtlessness was not like him. "We'll need to plan for everything that can happen, like: what happens if we attack too soon and they call for reinforcements or they bring more men into the room to begin with or Morgause is with them or how much can you actual do without causing yourself too much damage?" Arthur felt his face redden as the last addition tapered off quietly, for as mad as he was, he still could not stand the image of Merlin dying. He thought for a moment and realized that Morgause would be their biggest opponent.

"Mor…gause would be the one to w…worry about, any of the men I can handle. We m…might have to wait until they close the door to begin." There was an edge of steel to his tone that despite the shivering completely surprised Arthur.

Arthur sat dumbfounded; he could not understand how the severely wounded man in his lap was brushing off the number guards that had bested them a couple of times, "You're not worried about the number of guards in the room? Just how powerful do you think you are?"

"I don't really have time to explain now," a pained whimper escaped as Arthur shifted, "I promise I will tell you anything you want to know when we are far away from here, for now focus, you pra…prat." His statement was laced by pain, he was exhausted and ready to sleep but knew this needed to be finished before he nodded off.

"Well, than what do you propose? Since you seem to know more than I do." Arthur was annoyed and it showed. Not only had he just found out that he had been defending a sorcerer, but he also realized that he would continue to do so. He was still utterly confused and the hints at power and the promise of escape were not helping.

"Ar…Arthur. I…I know I'm fru…strating you and I'm sorry." He took a moment to catch his breath, his breathing was slightly easier but every shiver sent a stab of pain through his body and that caused his breath to hitch. Arthur seemed to realize what the problem was and tightened the jacket as well as his hold, it helped a little and Merlin continued,

"I think we should wa…wait for them to come into the room and shut the door. I…f they do that it will be harder to call for re…reinforcements. Morgause shouldn't be a problem because I think I can catch her off guard and get the be…etter of her quickly. The last thing she is expecting is the person she is torturing to fight back." Arthur shivered at his friend's use of torture, gods he just seemed so accepting of it and Arthur's anger cooled a bit at this revelation. Merlin was still injured and that needed to be seen to first.

"What do you want me to do?"

"If yo..you could distract her for enough time for me to take out the guards, it would ensure we succeed."

"Whatever needs to be done, Merlin." The man nodded against his chest, his eyes slipping closed until he seemed to realize something. Snapping awake he addressed the Prince, "If you don't want to support me Arthur I understand, just help me lay down gently please." A shocked expression crossed Arthur's face, "Why would you assume that Merlin?"

"You…you've been fidgeting since you came back over and helped me off the gr…ground. I'll be fine, I just don't want to be dropped again."

Arthur could have kicked himself. Merlin was serious and Arthur realized it was because he was being an ass. Merlin might have been a sorcerer but he was still in pain and shivering because he had defended the Prince and Camelot and that same Prince was now making it worse.

"No Merlin, it's alright. Try and get some sleep now while you can." The Prince soothed, trying to focus on keeping himself still. Merlin simply nodded again, his eyes drooping closed.

Now Arthur needed to figure out what he was going to do to distract Morgause and what he was going to do with Merlin once they finally made it home.

* * *

It was late in the night that the idea of how to distract Morgause came to Arthur. He would just have to play to what little he knew about her, other than the fact that she was a crazy high priestess who enjoyed torturing people for fun. With a plan in mind, he just had to hope it would work.

Once he came up with an idea he wished he hadn't because it gave him time to think about other things, namely the fact that the man he was holding was a sorcerer. He should feel the overwhelming need to kill Merlin, after everything he had learned about magic he should just stop caring about him. The problem was it was not that easy. He still acted like he had before he had revealed himself, he was still in pain and still willing to martyr himself to save the Prince, he still called him a prat and insulted him but he was a sorcerer. Arthur's head was slowly splitting into two sides: in one corner was his father and in the other was what he could only assume was his gut. His father was insisting that he sacrifice the man who had been his friend for the last four years while his gut was screaming at him that nothing had changed, that he should feel angry and hurt at the secrets but should still ensure that Merlin lived. The argument went back and forth until the doors screeched open. By the time of the interruption, the side that was his father had reverted to the archaic arguments equating magic to evil and the side that was his gut constantly reminded him of everything that Merlin had ever done for him. Oddly enough, his gut was winning. As the guards stalked into the room, Arthur knew what he needed to do. Pulling Merlin closer he tried rousing him. He needed to be as alert as he could in order to pull this off.

"Merlin…" No response. "Merlin. I know you don't want to get up but you have to wake up for now."

* * *

The first thing he knew was Arthur's whispered voice. Shortly after, an enormous amount of pain slammed into him. He knew what had to happen in the next few minutes but also realized that he was going to have to force himself to focus. He couldn't control the cry of pain as Arthur helped him slowly get to his feet. This would be all he had left to give; if this didn't work he didn't know what they would do. He would face their captors and no matter what, they would have a hell of a fight from their prisoners.

* * *

Arthur watched Merlin worriedly. He could barely stand, even with the supporting arm Arthur had on his waist, and the Prince could tell he was using all his stubbornness to remain where he was positioned. Six guards strode into the room and arrayed themselves near the door but did not take a step toward either prisoner. Arthur had a sinking feeling that Morgause would be the one in the room today and he couldn't help but hope that Merlin was strong enough to pull this off. He waited with bated breath to see who their tormentor would be for their great escape and his stomach dropped to his feet when he saw the blond head of the witch moving behind the taller guards. She stepped into the room to see the Prince supporting his manservant.

"Prince Arthur, still protecting that worthless servant I see. I'm surprised you've managed to keep him alive for this long."

Arthur couldn't bring himself to say anything, most of him wanted to say something, to protect Merlin but the rest of him was worried about what it would mean if he defended a sorcerer, so he snapped his mouth shut but his posture and glare boasted a defiant look. Morgause just looked bored, like she was done with their game and wanted to get on with her own.

"Step away Prince Arthur." He refused to move, tightening his hold as her eyes flashed dangerously, "I said…step away from him, Prince Arthur."

"No." Finally, his voice decided to work and while he knew that he was only delaying the inevitable, hopefully for the last time, he couldn't help but try. The guards moved toward them but Morgause waved them off.

"This will not be pleasant, Arthur Pendragon." The Prince raised his head rebelliously.

The witch's eyes shown gold and both prisoners dropped.

Arthur felt like he was drowning in fire. Every muscle in his body contracted and he felt his back arching as he convulsed. He tried desperately to reach out to Merlin but the grip that the spell had on him was too strong and he was left to stare at his wounded friend as the horrendous spell was used on him for a second day. Then as quickly as it began, the pain stopped and all he was left with was a dull throbbing from the wounds he had previously obtained. Still, the wind had been knocked out of him and he could not help but notice that Merlin's eyes, while open, were glazed with pain.

"…won't be a problem now, chain him up." Arthur picked up on the end of Morgause's order and felt himself being lifted off the stone floor and shackled in his normal chains. Hopefully from here, on the other end of the room, he would be more useful to Merlin, if he could just get Morgause's attention on him.

* * *

The last thing Merlin wanted was for Arthur to move, he needed the support both mentally and physically. He needed to know that Arthur was not going to forsake him so close to the end. When the Prince flat out refused the witch's request, the warlock felt a swell of hope; maybe they could work through this revelation, after they escaped of course. Then he felt the pain slam into him again. The floor hurt as he dropped and for a moment he thought that Arthur had dropped him, until he looked over to see the Prince writhing on the floor, same as him. Anger now overrode the hope and Merlin knew this would work; he would defend his Prince to the last. The pain stopped and the warlock was relieved when they dragged Arthur over to the customary chains. This would be their opportunity, at least that was his last thought before a blinding pain seared into his brain.

* * *

As soon as Arthur was secured in his chains, Morgause turned back to Merlin. The man was still curled in on himself on the stone floor and Morgause was determined to keep him that way. The words of the old religion rolled off her tongue and Merlin was sent into another fit. As he watched what was happening, Arthur assumed that he would feel something different; he assumed, because of what he had been taught his entire life, he would feel some sick level of joy at knowing the sorcerer was getting what he deserved. In reality, all he could feel was the same terror that had been snapping at him every time that door opened, the cries still tore at him, and they still killed him. This was Merlin. The servant he had gone on a quest to protect, the insolent idiot who kept the Prince in line, the only person who had ever actually told him the truth, and he was dying. This was not about him being a sorcerer any more; this was about him being a friend who needed help. Arthur put his part of the plan into motion.

"No! Stop, please! You'll kill him!" Morgause was holding Merlin under the influence of the spell longer than she had at any other time. Knowing that begging would not work, Arthur changed his tune and like he had before begun screaming questions at the high priestess, again fighting to be heard over Merlin's cries.

"I thought you trained as a knight? Where is the honor in this? Or were you trained with different standards?" As the witch turned around, her eyes flashed and Merlin went limp as he was finally released from the holds of her magic.

"What do you know of honor, Prince Arthur? You are begging for the life of a servant. I thought in your twisted world, he was to be beneath you."

"No one deserves to die this way! He doesn't deserve to die this way! Does that make me better than you? I am willing to forsake my code to plead for the life of one who is apparently beneath me, while you are attempting to snuff it out, which one of those is the more noble goal?"

"Do not lecture me about ethics, son of Uther Pendragon." Her full fury was directed at the Prince now and Arthur could see Merlin slowly getting to his feet behind her. The quick snatch look that Arthur was able to get showed a staggering, suffering man and the Prince knew he needed a bit more time. Giving Morgause his full attention,

"I am not my father, Morgause. My father would never beg for the life of another, no matter the price they were paying. Do not think that I am Uther."

She smirked at this remark, "No you are not your father, are you? You father would never beseech or plead; he would be stubborn to the last. I guess that makes you weak." Merlin was on his feet completely at this point and Arthur caught a glimpse of the first guard go down. If the Prince hadn't been looking for it, he would never have known it happened, the man was silent. Keeping Morgause's attention on him, he pretended the insult angered him.

"Doing what is right does not make one weak!"

A second guard went down.

"Oh, so your father is wrong?" The smirk turned into a full smile when she believed she had him willing to speak against the King. That was until the third guard dropped loudly.

* * *

Merlin had been trying desperately to claw his way to the surface of his mind as soon as the evil magic stopped assaulting his system. He knew that Arthur must have succeeded in distracting Morgause and he knew that now was the time he had to act, if only he wasn't so damn tired. Focusing everything he had on just getting up and getting free, he managed to pull his feet under him, drag himself up, and force his legs to hold him. Then he got to work on the guards, all of whom were currently mesmerized by the battle of wills happening on the other side of the room. Whispering a silencing spell followed by an immobilizing spell, Merlin took out the first guard. It made his head spin. The second guard followed the same pattern as the first and his ears began to ring. The third guard he attempted to disable when he forgot the silencing spell, the man collapsed like the other two but it was loud. Both Morgause and Arthur turned their attention to the warlock in the middle of the room. Well, it was time to just get rid of the other three guards at this point. As soon as the incantation left his lips, the three men dropped but he was fighting to keep his legs from shaking.

* * *

Arthur saw Morgause's gaze slide from his face and focus on the manservant standing behind her, the bodies of her guards littering the floor. Gone was the injured man and in his place was a frighteningly powerful warlock. Morgause took a moment to size up Merlin and, eyes shining, did something Arthur didn't expect. She looked at Merlin for a moment and then the hated spell passed her lips but instead of Merlin dropping to the ground Arthur's body suddenly exploded with a spasm of pain. He heard Merlin's yell of "no!" and then knew nothing but the blinding white of a thousand knives cutting all places on his body. The spell seemed more powerful this time. Arthur felt as if his brain was going to explode, felt like the pain was so all-encompassing that he would never be able to escape it even when the spell faded. Then he heard a muffled voice, almost like he was hearing her speak underwater. It had a self-satisfied edge to it, reminding him of a cat about to play with her food.

"Surrender now, Merlin or I will kill him." He froze instantly and Morgause laughed, "What was your plan? Have him distract me while you did your best to kill the guards and myself? Admirable but bound to fail." She released Arthur and Merlin saw him go limp in the chains, thankfully he was still awake because Merlin needed him alert. As she turned to survey the damage done to the guards, Arthur caught hold of Merlin's eyes and saw the golden hue for a second before the pressure on his wrists was gone. Somehow managing to think quickly, he kept his hands in the air for a few more moments in case she decided to look back. Her mistake was that she didn't. Rounding venomously on Merlin she spat,

"So, you have magic. That explains much, but why do you do this? Why do you forsake your own to defend him?"

"I am nothing like you."

"But you have magic, Merlin. Join with me, you will be spared and one day be able to live above those who would strive to control you." Her voice had taken on a righteous tone, imploring Merlin. The entire time she was thinking of the ways she would kill him if he joined her.

"You speak of magic like it's a power to wield over others…"

"It is, magic makes you stronger than those you serve."

"No. Magic should be used to help. It should be used to make the world better, not to control and condemn those without it."

"You have not experienced what I have. Magic is a weapon. To punish those who defy you. Destroy those who look down on you. Magic should be supreme in this land, it should not be hunted and attacked."

"That is where we are different Morgause, my magic is used to serve and protect, never to condemn and control. You are no different from Uther, you would just have the roles reversed." Merlin caught a slight movement behind the witch and he knew he had to keep her attention on him, Arthur must have been moving to the swords of the guards.

"So be it Merlin…_thrawu_." Immediately he dropped to the ground, writhing like what Arthur had done a moment ago, Morgause's smiling blue eyes glued to his form. Then she turned to look for Arthur, wanting him to see her power, wanting him to fear her. What she found was not exactly what she was looking for.

"Do you see Prince Arthur…" As she turned to finish her comment she realized that the Prince was no longer trussed up in his chains. Instead he was in front of her and there was a sensation of cold steel blossoming in her stomach.

"Release him and I'll kill you quickly." Arthur growled dangerously in her ear. Instead her eyes glowed again and Merlin started to scream. Quickly jerking the sword up and over Arthur watched the as the light was extinguished from her eyes and Merlin's screams stopped. Keeping hold of the blade, Arthur hurried over to where Merlin was crumbled in on himself trying to steady his haggard breathing; thankfully killing the witch ended the spell.

"Well that did not go exactly to plan."

Arthur couldn't help but scoff at the comment. "When do your plans ever work Merlin?" His attempt at feigned hurt gave way to a pained cry as Arthur sat him upright. He couldn't help at all and the only reason he remained sitting was because Arthur took hold of his shoulder and kept him there.

"Alright, we have to go, can you walk?"

Tears filled his eyes when he realized he didn't have the strength to stand, let alone put one foot in front of the other, "I ca…can't Arthur, I can't move. Everything hurts. Leave me."

"I told you before, I'm not leaving you. I said I would get you out and I meant it, I'll have to carry you. Come on then." Sliding the sword through his belt to keep it in place and positioning his arms under Merlin's knees and shoulders Arthur lifted him, careful of the broken arm and settling him so he could rest his head on his shoulder. He got to the door and realized that their captors had never reopened it. Nudging Merlin's head, "Merlin can you open the door?" The warlock nodded quickly before his eyes flashed and the door clicked open. Pushing it open and sticking his head out to check for guards, Arthur slid out of the room in a direction that he hoped would be the way out.

* * *

**Well there we have it, they are finally out of the cell and things are looking up (assuming they can make it out of the fortress but that is a story for another day). I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm off to clean the house and put in job applications - so not as much fun as writing but I have to pay for school some way :P**

**Have a good day! **

**-Lily**

**P.S. - Susant123 if you are still reading, there is no way I could kill Merlin, for as much as he is getting beaten up, he'll be alright in the end. I promise :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**You guys are so absolutely amazing! Almost to 100 comments, that is awesome thank you so much for commenting! **

**I had a timing question about the last chapter from Clara and I just wanted to make sure I cleared it up, for each 'session' (for lack of a better term) is a day, I just went back and counted and this chapter ends on the eighth day since they left Camelot. I skipped a few scenes because I didn't want the story to drag but I'm sorry if the timeline got lost a little in the shuffle. I hope this helps and I'm sorry it wasn't clearer. **

**Well here's the seventh chapter! I hope everyone enjoys :)**

**P.S. I used a few spells I made up, if you want to know what they are supposed to mean, I have them starred at the bottom.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_Previously: _

_Pushing it open and sticking his head out to check for guards, Arthur slid out of the room in a direction that he hoped would be the way out._

* * *

The stonewall loomed ahead of them, more cells were pressed into the rock on either side of their poorly lit escape route, or what should have been escape route. Arthur growled before turning and going back the way they had come.

"I guess your sense of direction isn't what it used to be." Merlin quipped weakly at him.

"Be quiet Merlin. If your mouth is working I might have to assume that your legs do as well." It was a low blow and they both knew it, it was a warning to Merlin to keep the talking to a minimum and it was a reminder to Arthur that his friend was in trouble, regardless of how he acted.

Merlin snapped his mouth shut and shifted slightly in the Prince's arms, racking his brain to see if there was any way he could help find their way out of this place just as Arthur arrived at a rather impressive looking door.

"This has to be the door out of the dungeon…" he tried the handle only to find it unsurprisingly bolted. "Merlin do you think…"

The words had barely left the Prince's mouth when the door was swinging open on its hinges while Merlin slumped down even farther in Arthur's hold. He found himself slightly confused, he had never felt this exhausted after such a simple spell, _you normally haven't had to deal with fists and whips_, a small voice reminded him. He only hoped they didn't run into too many guards on their way out.

Arthur was just thanking the gods that the door only led to one set of stairs, if they got lost because he chose the wrong staircase, he didn't even want to think of the consequences. As he stumbled his way up, another door came into view and a feeling in his gut told him this one would be more dangerous to open. If there were any sense in this fortress, this would be the door into the main castle and hopefully the way out.

Coming to the landing, Arthur paused. He knew there was a good chance of guards on the outside of the door and he wasn't quite sure how he would know if they were standing nearby. Looking down to Merlin he hoped the newly revealed sorcerer would be able to help.

"Merlin," he jostled him gently to get his attention and his eyes snapped open.

_Urmph_, "Wh…what?"

"Merlin, is there anything you can do to tell if there are guards outside this door?"

Meeting his eye, "Did you try looking, you prat?" Apparently, the prospect of escape was bringing out the man's more optimistic side.

"Do you see a window? Idiot."

"I don't know Arthur, I'm not sure if I can do that, hold on lemme think." The warlock racked his brains for a moment before deciding on a spell that he thought might work but he had only read it in passing and couldn't remember if he knew the words exactly. The most he could do was try.

It was weird actually saying the words in front of Arthur, the earlier spells were simple enough he didn't have to say an incantation but this one was different. Taking a deep breath, he did the one thing he was afraid of doing since he came to Camelot, he practiced magic in front of the Prince.

"ábir þá þone díegol"*

Arthur watched his eyes blaze gold and gasped when he saw the door and the walls on either side turned hazy and glow with the same golden light. It was possible to see through the door and the wall! Looking quickly, the Prince caught sight of two guards, one on either side, exactly what he was worried about. Then a thought hit him,

"Merlin, before when you unlocked the door you opened it as well, can you do that again with a little more power?"

The shimmering reveal disappeared as Merlin released the spell and sank lower, the most he could do was give a nod. He knew he could do that but it would drain his already weakening resources.

"Ju..st gimme a minute." The request was quiet but Arthur heard it for what it was and as much as he hated putting the pressure on his friend, he knew they needed to keep moving,

"Merlin, I'm sorry but we don't have a minute. We have to get out while we can. I promise you can rest for as long as you want once we leave but we have to get out first. Who knows if you get us out of here, I might actually give you a day off."

Merlin scoffed at that comment, "You wouldn't last a day without me."

"Well we won't know that until we get out of here. Are you ready?"

"Yea." Was all the warlock said.

"I'm going to have to put you down for this, you knock out the guard on the left and I'll take care of the one on the right."

Merlin nodded his agreement and braced himself for the pain that would come from being set down.

Arthur did so as gently as he could and after making sure the coat was still wrapped securely around his frame, nodded at his friend.

Merlin composed himself and focused. He would have to make sure the door moved as fast as it could in order for this to work without the guards having the ability to call for help. He also thought for a moment and realized he probably should silence the door as well to keep the sound from reverberating and doing the job the guards would not be able to do.

"Ætýne recen ond swíglíce"** As soon his eyes flashed the door flew open but it was like it was happening in a contained area, the silencing spell worked and no sounds echoed down the chamber. When the door snapped back off the wall, Merlin heard a muffled thud as the guard, who had been standing there, collapsed at his station.

Arthur was stunned for a moment; to see a door as heavy as that one swing with no sound was a little disconcerting but he snapped out of it instantly when the second guard stepped into sight, confused as to what was going on. The Prince skewered him quickly and quietly before dragging both bodies onto the landing behind the door. Thinking quickly, he dug around their pockets to find the key, hoping that locking them in would buy the two escapees a little more time. Once both bodies were stowed against the wall, he turned back to the sorcerer. Nudging Merlin gently on his good arm until he opened his eyes, Arthur knelt down in front of his friend; he wanted to let him know what was going on.

"Merlin, I looked ahead a little and I think I know the direction we should go, we just have to make sure we keep to the shadows. Honestly, there are not many people milling around and judging but the state of some of the tapestries I saw, I don't think this is a functioning castle. I think it's just for holding prisoners."

The warlock nodded, he was exhausted and for once didn't want to waste the energy talking.

Arthur knew the answer but he had to ask, "Do you think you can walk?"

Tears welled up in his eyes again as he met the Prince's gaze, "No Arthur. I'm sorry."

Arthur was on the verge of tears himself, "Its alright Merlin, I'll carry you. Come on."

Collecting his friend like he had done before, Arthur moved quietly into the corridor, pausing only to lock the door before he trudged on.

* * *

The fortress was huge, a labyrinth of tunnels twisted and turned their way through the building and the only thing that let Arthur know they were slowly ascending was the slightly warming temperature of the air around them. Even the ground floor had been buried far under ground. He could feel a weariness in his arms and he was fighting a shaking in his muscles that he knew was the result of their captivity and Merlin's weight, but still he kept going. Oddly enough, no guards had come across their path, he knew that this castle was only used for utility but he had assumed Cenred would have more men stationed throughout. So either fate had decided to finally look their way or the guards were simply amassing somewhere to make it easier to catch the two escapees. Not that their capture would be relatively difficult, Merlin was in no condition to fight and Arthur was beginning to worry if he could even pick the sorcerer up again if he set him down. The other peculiar thing the Prince had noticed (and was thankful for) was that there had been no warning bells, he was sure Morgause would have been done with her fun if they had still been in their prison, at least that's how he read the time. If he was right they really only had a few more minutes before someone rang the bell because not even Cenred would be stupid enough not to send someone to check when his pet witch did not come back.

Merlin seemed to notice his tiredness because he chose that moment to break his unusual silence, "Arthur, just leave me here. You can come back and get me with the knights but you have to get away this time."

Clearly his friend was not thinking, or he truly was an idiot. "You really are a moron, Merlin. I swore I would get you out of here, magic and all, but I swear if you say one more thing about me leaving you I will stuff a gag in your mouth until we get out of here." At that Merlin shut up. And Arthur continued on down the dark hallway trying desperately to figure out the way out of this hellhole.

* * *

After walking for what seemed like an eternity Arthur was beginning to worry. The guard that Merlin had knocked out would be coming to soon and they were no closer to picking their way out of here. Knowing he needed help, Arthur again woke Merlin.

"Merlin, I'm sorry, I know I'm asking much of you but I don't know the way out. Can you do anything?"

His friend looked up at him with tired eyes, "I think so." And right away he started to chant. The blue orb that Arthur recognized so well reappeared in front of him and started to float away from them, thankfully in the direction that Arthur was already moving. The Prince could hear Merlin chanting in a low voice and the orb moved a little faster, urging him on. It led him back into a side corridor, much like the ones in Camelot that the servants used to move around without being seen. It was then that the sound that Arthur had been dreading rang through the castle. Their escape had been discovered. It was time to run.

Forgetting stealth, Arthur decided to go for speed. Merlin's chanting had sped up as well and the orb bobbed along ahead of them, lighting the path they needed to take with its soft blue light. This path would be their advantage but it also meant if that light was seen, they would be easily surrounded. Arthur ran on as fast as he could.

Merlin's chanting ceased for just a moment and his eyes popped open, "Arthur, I think we'll find the door soon."

Arthur almost cried out in victory when he saw the break in the stone. And that is when fate decided to turn her back on them again. He heard the sound of a sword clearing its scabbard and had to restrain himself from growling. The orb brightened giving Arthur a clear view of what he was dealing with. Quickly putting Merlin down, he turned to face his adversaries at the same time drawing his own sword. He had to fight and he was even more dangerous now that he was backed into a corner. Thankfully, there were four guards and in the confined space, only two could stand against him at a time. He engaged them, using his fear and anger to drive his blade. The first man dropped quickly, a sword to his gut. The third man stepped forward but the guards were locking each other's blades about as often as they were locking Arthur's. A second soldier dropped then the third until the Prince was left with just the last guard. Sizing the ex-prisoner up, the man apparently decided it was better to escape with his life as he took off down the hallway. Arthur chased after him only to see the man trip on nothing. His sword clattered to the ground and slide across the stone as Arthur took the opportunity to drive his own blade into the man's back. They did not need another person who knew they had escaped. Hopefully, killing this small patrol would buy them a little more time.

Arthur sprinted back to the door; the blue orb was still hovering close by, and scooping up Merlin gently, made for the exit. One more time his friend opened a locked door and as he did, the orb winked out. As the light disappeared, Arthur panicked because Merlin went boneless in his arms. There was no tension left his limbs and his face was lax. The only thing that kept the Prince from losing it completely was the fact that he could still feel the rise and fall of his chest as he kept breathing. His friend had passed out. As badly as the Prince wanted to stop, he knew that escaping would be the best option.

As Arthur stepped out of the door, he couldn't help but smile at the warmth on his face. He had worried that the sun would have set and he would be left blindly picking through an unknown forest trying to find a place to rest. Instead the angle of the sun gave him a good idea of which way to travel. It was past its peak and knowing that they were east of Camelot, he turned toward the beautiful sun and resolved to walk until nightfall.

* * *

As the sun was beginning its daily journey below the trees of the forest, Arthur knew it was time to find somewhere to rest for the night. He had been tripping over roots and branches that he normally would have missed; _this must be what Merlin feels like on a daily basis, _he quipped to himself. Then sobering up again he thought about their situation and for as desperately as he wanted to keep going he knew the acquired clumsiness would only get worse once darkness shrouded the land and blinded him. So, keeping his eyes peeled for any kind of rock overhang that could signal a cave, Arthur marched on.

* * *

Just as the sun was winking out over the horizon, Arthur made his way to the cave he had noticed. It was a deep cavern that would do for the night. They had managed to make it a good distance from the fortress before stopping and the Prince could only hope that there would be no guards searching for them at night, and if they were searching Arthur prayed that they concentrated on the land closer to the castle, expecting them to hide and rest once they had escaped. Stepping inside he realized it was much larger than he expected, the mouth of the cave was low but it opened up much farther in, _a fire could actually work here_. Arthur had been debating a fire ever since Merlin had started shivering again as the sun set. He needed to be warm. It was slightly cooler outside than it had been in their little cell and that jacket was not doing enough. Quickly deciding a yes on the fire, he gently laid Merlin on his side toward the back of the hollow and made for the forest.

* * *

For as much as Merlin liked to tease him, Arthur was capable of collecting his own firewood, and believe it or not, actually starting a fire. So once he had a sufficient amount of kindling and logs to assure they would have enough for the night he went to the back of the cave and arranged a small fire. Using a couple rocks he had managed to find because of the light of the moon, he set about lighting the kindling. About fifteen strikes and only one smashed thumb later (Arthur was slightly thankful Merlin had not been awake for that one), there was a nice blaze crackling in the back of their little cave. Arthur sat down close to his friend and waited for him to wake. He had been hoping that the man would come to much sooner than this but that last spell must have drained him.

* * *

The fire was happily popping and snapping away and Arthur was dozing against the wall when Merlin finally decided to wake. His whimpering woke Arthur.

"Merlin! Are you all right? You've been unconscious since we escaped."

The warlock panicked for a moment, their surroundings were stone and dark but he distinctly remembered seeing sun streaming in through an open door. "Wh…where are we?"

Arthur picked up on his fear, "Its all right Merlin. We're in a cave. We got away. No thanks to you of course, you decided to pass out like a girl just as the door opened."

"Who do you think opened that door, you prat?" His voice was weak and strained but still he was Merlin. He gasped as he shifted too quickly and the movement tore at the wounds on his back.

"Easy Merlin, I know its not comfortable but we needed a fire and this is as good a place as any." Arthur had his hand on his shoulder holding him steady. The warlock stopped moving but had to close his eyes against the pain that was emanating from every part of his body.

Arthur sunk down next to him again and waited for the pain to subside to a dull ache. When his friend finally got ahold of himself, the Prince asked the question he had been dying to ask since he found out about Merlin's magic, still he didn't want to press him so for once he took the round-a-bout technique.

"Merlin, can I ask you something?"

The sorcerer just looked up at him expectantly.

"Why did you start practicing magic?" There was no malice behind the question and Merlin could sense the curiosity.

"I didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"I was born with magic. This wasn't something that I chose. I could move things around the house before I could talk, freaked my mum out because she never knew how to get me to stop." He paused for a moment, "Eventually, she figured out that if she kept me calm enough things tended to stop flying."

"So you can't just…I don't know…make yourself stop using magic?" Arthur expected Merlin to look at him like he was stupid; instead all he got was an understanding expression.

"I tried that once, it didn't work. It actually made everything worse because I was trying so hard to keep anything from happening that when something finally did happen, I couldn't control it." Merlin was relieved to say the least, Arthur was calmly asking him about his magic and didn't seem nearly as threatened by it as warlock assumed he would be.

"This isn't the first time you've used magic to save us, is it?"

Merlin dropped his eyes and shook his head, he wasn't sure how Arthur would react to all the individual lies he had told him now that he knew the major one.

"All this time, I've been protected by a sorcerer." Arthur mumbled to himself but Merlin wanted to correct his assumption.

"I'm not a sorcerer," his eyes were still downcast but his quiet voice was heard by the Prince, "I'm a warlock."

"What?" Arthur hadn't realized there were different types of magic users; he just assumed all those who used magic were sorcerers.

"A sorcerer acquires magic through study. A warlock is born with magic, my power is instinctual, I can improve it with knowledge but it's not something I can ever give up."

"Oh. Well, in any case, once we get back to Camelot, you are going to have much storytelling to accomplish."

The conversation fell here and both men were silent for a while. Arthur, thinking about all the times he thought he had defeated a magical creature only to now realize he probably hadn't. Merlin was simply thinking about the pain, normally it was something he could ignore but the escape drained him more than he was willing to admit and left his whole body open to the burning pain that was working its way into his mind. He dropped his head against his arm in an effort to close his eyes and banish the feeling.

* * *

It wasn't long before Arthur spoke again, he had been thinking about all the times the sorc…warlock had used magic in the past and couldn't help but wonder why he didn't magic them out of their situation any earlier.

"Merlin, why did you wait so long to use your magic?"

The man's eyes opened and Arthur could not miss the haze of pain written into them nor the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He looked worn and spent but he still answered the Prince's ridiculous question.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell you at all. I was hoping that someone would come rescue us but…I…I didn't want to die." A flush came to his cheeks, the man was embarrassed for wanting to live and Arthur wanted to smack him.

"That doesn't answer my question Merlin, _why_ did you wait so long? Why did you allow yourself to suffer so much?" There was no accusation in the Prince's tone, just an overwhelming need to understand what had driven his friend to take so much punishment when he could have prevented it.

"I've been hiding it from you for so long Arthur that I was afraid of your reaction. It has never been my intention for you to find out this way. I was hoping that it would be when I could tell you because I wanted to tell you, not because I had to."

His voice was quiet but still loud enough for Arthur to hear every word.

"So you went through everything you just went through because you didn't want to hurt my feelings?" There was a note of anger there but Merlin instinctually knew it was not directed at him. So he just nodded in the affirmative.

"I'm sorry Merlin." It was a true apology; "You have been a good friend for many years and you felt like it was better to be tortured than tell me a truth that could have saved you much pain. I'm sorry you felt you had to do that." Arthur was ashamed to say the least. His only true friend had been tortured to the limits of his endurance because he was afraid to tell the Prince about himself, then it dawned on Arthur why he had been so afraid. "You thought I would kill you…" It wasn't really so much a question as it was a quiet declaration but it caused Merlin to look away sheepishly as the need to explain got the better of him.

"At first yes. You didn't know me and had no reason not to kill me. After a year or so I hoped you wouldn't kill me but there was your father and…I guess I just got used to hiding it."

"What does my father have to do with this?" The anger was back in his voice.

"Nothing specifically, I just never wanted to make you have to chose between me and your father. It's not fair to ask that of you. I didn't want you to have to hide your ideas from him." His mind flashed instantly to Morgana, "No one should have to hide what they are thinking or who they are."

"Except you?" The question caught Merlin off guard.

"What?"

"Except you…you've been hiding who you are since you got to Camelot, why are you the only one who should have to hide?"

"Arthur, I've been hiding all my life. This is nothing new. This was just a little harder because my best friend knew nothing about it." The conversation fell here until Arthur decided to add one last addendum that heartened Merlin,

"I would pick you over my father, Merlin. Never have I had anyone who treated me more like family than you."

"So you won't tell him about me?" Merlin mumbled, the edges of his vision blurred as exhaustion pulled him into sleep.

Arthur was awestruck by the question, as if he could turn the man in for magic after everything that happened! But Arthur realized he was falling asleep so maybe that had something to do with it.

"No, Merlin. You'll be safe in Camelot, my father will know nothing of your powers and if for some reason you're clumsiness reveals the secret, you will not suffer in any way for it."

A mumbled thank you was all he got as the warlock's head slumped in his good arm.

"Sleep now, Merlin. We'll be home soon."

Throwing a few more logs on the fire, Arthur settled against the wall and prepared to get some sleep of his own.

* * *

* "Reveal those that are hidden" - I pieced this together from an old English translation website so if this is wrong I apologize. I don't know old English yet (I do actually want to learn), so don't hurt me if its really wrong!

** "Open swiftly in violence and silence" – again this is pieced together!

**Well there you have it, another chapter down and our heroes are slightly closer to home but they still have a while to go before they make it back to Camelot and safety. Please feel free to tell me what you thought, I do always love to hear from you. **

**I hope you enjoyed and as always: Have a good day!**

**-Lily**

**P.S. Clara - thank you so much for your reviews! I'm going to have to try to update sooner so you don't have to keep checking back every day. I can't promise it will happen but I'm going to try!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you all for the reviews! Up over 100, that's the most I've ever had for any of my stories so thank you so much, you are all absolutely amazing!**

**And now for the groveling, I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long! I don't know why but this part of the story gave me far too many problems. I think I wrote three versions of events for this chapter and I hated all of them so I rewrote it again! I hope it came out alright in the end and was worth the wait.**

**So, without more ado here is the eighth chapter, I hope you enjoy reading!**

* * *

_Previously: Throwing a few more logs on the fire, Arthur settled against the wall and prepared to get some sleep of his own. _

* * *

It was a muffled scuffing that caught the Prince's attention. He hoped that it was just an animal, an animal couldn't hurt them. He prayed it wasn't a search party from Cenred but knew that probably would not be answered. Snatching up the sword, he crept slowly out of their rock sanctuary and tried to find the source of the noise. Chances were the source was close because it was not a noise that would have carried far. Then Arthur saw the bushes shifting close near the entrance. At the same instance he noticed the shine of sun glinting off armor. The Prince groaned silently to himself, it was just their luck that the thugs would find them here. Only the soldiers were not looking into the cave, they were moving to the West, the same direction that Arthur and Merlin needed to travel. Arthur took a minute to mull the situation over, if the patrol was small enough, would it be worth it to kill the soldiers and ensure they would not run into them again? Before he could make a decision, the first men strode into the clearing. As each one moved past, Arthur counted from his concealed position. By the time the last man stumbled through the underbrush, he had counted seven. Seven men he could handle if he took them out one at a time. He would start with the man lagging behind. Stepping out of the safety of the cave, Arthur set out after the patrol. There was a thought that worked its way lazily though his mind, _why did these men have to die? When had he become so violent? _Normally, he would have allowed the patrol to pass them by and find a sneaky way around, but then he reminded himself that Merlin needed to get to Camelot quickly and a round-about way would not be fast. That thought hardened his resolve and he set off after the patrol.

He crept behind the laggard and a clean sword to the back dropped the man effortlessly. As he looked in front of him, he noticed the staggered lines and heard the loud footsteps of the men, if they had been of Camelot, they would have been put through extra training for their lack of discipline. But this was an advantage for the Prince. He took out two more soldiers in much the same way, an arm around the mouth so they could not scream and a sword to the back. The last four would be more of a problem because they were grouped together; there would be no way to take them out one at a time. Setting himself up for a fight, he stole toward the group and in a flash, took down the first man, his cry causing the others to spin. Unfortunately for Arthur, all three men already had their swords out, _apparently these are the real soldiers_, the Prince quipped to himself before bringing his own blade up. The soldiers quickly surrounded him, for some reason thinking that it increased their chances, they did not realize they would lose because Arthur could not afford to.

Taking a second to size up his opponents, Arthur took a step toward the strongest one. His adrenaline was pumping but he knew that could only last for so long. He clashed swords with the man and the fight began.

His sword hit hard, the movement jarring his aching arms still, he held his ground. The tricky bit was making sure he was paying attention to all three of the men because a blade flashed out of nowhere, close enough to take out his leg. He only just caught the sneaky edge at the last second. But the deflection threw his attacker off-balance and he used the momentary respite to move out of the center of their circle, clashing swords with the third man as he went past. He knew he needed to keep all three of them in front of him to have a chance. Pushing forward, he managed to slice the largest man's arm causing him to lose his grip on his blade as his arm exploded in pain. Arthur wheeled back and put his sword through his stomach. The loss of their companion did not deter the other two soldiers. They stepped toward him simultaneously, his sword clashing with both of theirs and the force pushing him down below the crossed blades. Even through he could still feel the adrenaline of the fight, Arthur could sense the weariness that had been building catching up to him. His strikes were shaky and he felt like he was fighting the battle in slow motion. Still he thrust again. His aim was not as clear this time and he succeeded in causing both men to jump back. Attacking again, he locked blades with one soldier, and battered his blade away from him. As the man turned to run, he crumbled when Arthur's blade sliced through the thin material on his back. That left the Prince with the best odds. He could do this. Instead of sizing him up, the soldier attacked, forcing Arthur off balance. As he stepped back, his boot tangled in a root and he hit the ground hard. The man switched his hold and stabbed down at him, compelling Arthur to deflect the blade, causing the sword to maim an innocent piece of earth instead. Arthur stabbed up quickly. His attack hit home and his attacker slumped forward, supported by only his own blade. Scrambling to his feet, Arthur checked for any unseen combatants and when he was sure they were dead, he headed back the way he come.

* * *

When he finally dragged himself back into the cave, Arthur slumped down next to Merlin. The Prince took a moment to relax; he laid his head back against the stone wall and closed his eyes trying to will his throbbing mind into silence. They needed to run but he just needed a moment to rest while he got his body to cooperate.

It only took a little bit for Arthur to finally get his rebelling brain under control and he turned to Merlin. He was a little surprised that the idiot had not woken up yet but figured at least while he was asleep he would not be in pain. Knowing that he should be at least awake when they leave, Arthur turned and gently shook his healing shoulder. The man didn't even mumble. Panic seized the Prince as he tried again. Still Merlin refused to respond to his efforts to wake him.

"Come on you idiot, its time to wake up."

He shook him again, "Merlin, please."

The Prince kept himself from freaking out by focusing on helping his friend. Placing his hand on his forehead, Arthur figured out the reason for his unconsciousness; his brow was on fire. With the panic still on the edges of his vision, Arthur felt urgency taking hold; they needed to go, now. He knew it was still at least two days to the castle and he had wasted too much time as it was. Gently picking up his friend, Arthur stomped out what was left of the fire and they were on their way.

Arthur expected to feel something as he walked past the bodies of the men he had killed but the weight in his arms kept him from feeling anything. Setting their course opposite the sun, Arthur squared his shoulders and began the long walk home.

* * *

Arthur hit his knees again. He was tired and hungry but he couldn't stop. Merlin didn't even react when he was jostled. His friend was out of it; Arthur could feel the fever that was beginning to burn its way through his body. They had been traveling all day and Merlin had yet to wake. Multiple times he had stopped at streams and tried to cool his friend but he could only do so much before they had to get moving again. He had early on tied wet cloths around his neck and forehead but even that was not really helping. Arthur just was not sure the best way to care for him.

As the Price was worrying over Merlin and trying not to trip on any more magically appearing roots he suddenly felt an immense sense of peace wash over him. For some reason, that even surprised the Prince, he knew why: they had crossed into the lands of Camelot. Feeling suddenly energized, Arthur pushed forward. He could get them farther into the territory before they had to stop and for that he was extremely grateful. They would get home. Everything would be fine. Now they just needed to get to a town where he could find some help for Merlin and where they could get word to the King.

* * *

His optimism was slowly crushed as the sun began to set and no village had appeared on the horizon, leaving Arthur with another choice: he could find some place for them to stay during the night or he could keep going and hope that he came across something before the sun set completely. He knew a fire would not be as much an issue in this area as it had been in Cenred's land but he still was wary of bandits and highwaymen. Eventually, his need to rest took over. He was exhausted. Besides, Merlin was shivering as well as burning up and Arthur knew that the continuous jostling and jarring was doing nothing for his recovery. Moving a little farther into the wood, Arthur found a decent ring of trees that would keep them hidden. Now for a small fire. As worried as he was about lighting another and giving away their position, he knew it was necessary. He laid Merlin down as comfortably as he could before he sat back to look at him. He had rivulets of sweat beading on his forehead, his broken arm, while set, was still swollen and had to be painful, his face was pale, and his breathing was stuttered from what Arthur could only assume was the broken ribs. He had not woken and the Prince knew that if this fever was not taken care of, he probably would not. That thought scared him to death, it was unacceptable. Merlin could not die, not after all he had gone through. He would not die. And with that thought swirling in his mind, he left to find enough kindling and logs for a fire.

It did not take him long to find what he needed and because much of the wood was relatively dry, it only took a few attempts for Arthur to get the kindling lit. Settling back against a tree, Arthur listened to the woodland sounds. While he heard the usual sounds of life and nature, the harsh pulls of breath from Merlin broke the soothing atmosphere. Arthur remembered it had been slightly easier for him to breathe when he was propped up but unfortunately that was difficult without aggravating the wounds on his back. Knowing what he had to do, the Prince moved over to his friend, settled against a tree, and pulled Merlin onto his chest. His friend was still shivering and he needed to do something to keep him warm as well as help his breathing. Wrapping his arms around him, he held him and could not help the few tears that worked their way out of his eyes.

Arthur eventually passed out from exhaustion, falling into a blessedly dreamless sleep.

* * *

The morning began much the same as the other, Merlin still refused to wake and Arthur was again forced to swallow his fear and keep moving. His arms and legs had long since stopped hurting and he knew that he was pushing himself too hard, but still he could not stop. The one thought that kept Arthur going was that they were in Camelot and that meant they were that much closer to safety.

* * *

They had only been walking for an hour or so when Arthur heard the sound of a horse's whinny. Not wanting to risk being caught unarmed; the Prince quickly laid Merlin behind a sturdy tree and prepared for another fight. His sword arm was aching but he knew this would be the last time they could run across Cenred's men's path. Hiding behind a wide tree, Arthur waited for the patrol to move past them giving him the element of surprise. That was until he caught sight of one of their cloaks fluttering in the breeze. They were Camelot red.

In his strongest tone he ordered, "Knights, halt." All spun to face the threat, swords drawn and Arthur thanked the gods when he realized Leon was leading the contingent.

"Prince Arthur?" Came his incredulous reply. The knight took a second to take in the Prince's appearance and there was no better way to describe him other than to say he looked haggard. His clothing was torn and smeared with dirt and blood. The bags under his eyes were dark enough to give someone the impression he had been punched and he was limping slightly as he stepped to his right. Leon followed his projected path and realized that there was someone else with him, _Merlin, of course_. Both men had gone missing almost two weeks before on a hunting trip. The King had been more angry than normal and almost everyone was running scared within the castle walls as fear took over his rule. The affairs of state still continued but as they were leaving, Leon's vanguard had been tasked with a second goal: continue the search for the Prince further afield. At least that one had been a success. Pulling his mind away from his mission, he tried to make out Merlin's condition, the boy was curled in on himself and seemed to be resting so when Arthur picked him up instead of helping him stand Leon could not help the pang of worry that passed through his mind. Then Leon got a good look at the servant. The knight recoiled instantly. Merlin looked like death. His face was pale as a sheet, he was sweating profusely and Leon could see the strips of cloth he was assuming Arthur had tied around his head and neck. The man was also shaking like a leaf and Leon knew that was a fever. The way the Prince had positioned his arm told Leon it had probably been broken, it didn't exactly look like a clean set. There were bruises visible on his face and the knight was sure those extended beyond. Whatever had happened to them, Merlin had taken the brunt of it.

"Leon, I am glad to see you. Where is the camp? I'm assuming this is the force my father had been building."

Leon had to shake himself and took a moment to process Arthur's question, "Yes, Sire we set out from Camelot a few days ago. The camp is not far from here, we have only just left for a patrol of the area."

"Well, I'm ending it for at least two men. I need to get to camp as quickly as possible. I'll need a horse and a guide." Normally the commanding tone would have seemed arrogant but the anxiety underlying it bellied any charges of condescension.

Leon weighed his choices, the Prince looked like he was about to fall over. But there was a fire in his eyes that let him know he would walk all the way to the camp if necessary. That spark settled it, "Sir Robert, dismount so the Prince can use your horse." The knight did so without a second thought, "All of us will act as guides and guards, we will cover the area tomorrow."

"Leon that is not necessary. I just need one guide, the rest may complete their patrol."

"Sire, with all due respect, there are still bandits of Cenred stalking these woods and you look like you have been fighting too hard for too long. We will complete the patrol tomorrow." The Prince inclined his head, too tired to argue and too relieved to have found help to care.

They set out toward the camp, toward Camelot.

* * *

It didn't take long to reach the area where the vanguard had camped.

There were rows of tents set up in a clearing, apparently Uther had ordered they stay put for a while, that would be the only way to explain the semi-permanent camp. Leon led the Prince to a tent near the middle of the encampment and took Merlin from Arthur, working his way into the shelter with the stricken servant as the Prince dismounted. The knights who normally occupied the tent had been sent out to seek lodging with others and Leon took advantage, laying Merlin on one of the beds. However, unaware of the whip wounds, Leon laid him on his back and Merlin gave a small cry as the knight's armor pulled the wounds when he removed his arms. Arthur was at his friend's side instantly.

"We need to get him on his stomach, Leon." The knight swallowed hard when he realized what that meant but listened as Arthur continued. "They whipped him the day before we escaped. I tried to bind the wounds but I could not do nearly enough. The wounds are painful and infected."

More gently than he had ever seen the Prince do anything, Leon watched as Arthur turned his unconscious friend onto his stomach, mindful of the broken arm and broken ribs. He proceeded to remove his hunting jacket and it was then that the knight realized the Prince was intending to take care of Merlin himself.

"I need bandages and water Leon."

"Sire, let someone else do this, please. You should eat and rest, there are plenty of knights with training to treat these wounds."

"No," he stated flatly, the refusal shocking the knight.

"Sire please."

Arthur's face softened a fraction when he realized Leon was trying to do what was best for him, "I need to take care of him Leon. I will eat and rest after these wounds are cleaned. Now please I need water and bandages."

The knight nodded, there was no arguing with the Prince once he got an idea in his head. This was something he needed to do and Leon would ensure he had privacy and the materials he needed. As he was getting the requested items, he made sure to assign two knights to stand guard outside the tent as well, no one was allowed entrance without the express permission of himself or the Prince.

Leon returned to the tent with the required items, to see that Arthur had fully gotten Merlin's shredded shirt and stained bandages off. What he saw almost made him sick. The man's back was a mess of blood and torn flesh highlighted by the angry red tone of the skin around each one of the wounds, yes they definitely were infected. But as he got closer to the bed, he realized that there was bruising underneath the skin that was not from the whip. _So he was beaten as well_, the knight deduced. Suddenly, Leon realized why Arthur was so desperate to take care of his friend (because under all the false bravado and name calling that's what these two were). These were marks of torture and Leon knew the Prince well enough to know that he would have blamed himself for Merlin's state. Leon must have been staring for longer than he realized or intended because Arthur's tired tone caught his attention,

"Do you have the water and bandages?"

Leon handed over the required materials without saying anything; he couldn't tear his eyes from the figure on the bed, Merlin looked smaller than normal.

"He was tor…" the Prince cleared his throat as he set about cleaning the wounds, a task Leon thought he would never see royalty do, "tortured for the majority of the time we were captive. He didn't tell them anything, no matter what they did Leon, he didn't tell them anything."

"Sire, what happened?"

"Cenred. We've been prisoners of Cenred and Morgause." The Prince choked on the witch's name, she must have done most of the interrogating. "They wanted information about Camelot and were intent on me giving it to them. Somehow, Merlin managed to convince them it would be better to torture him than me. I don't know how he did it but what they did Leon, I don't know how he handled it." A silence fell across the room as Arthur focused on Merlin.

* * *

The sun had long disappeared below the horizon when Arthur was eventually satisfied that Merlin's wounds had finally been cleaned and properly bandaged and he also noticed that the cool water had done something for his fever, it seemed slightly less scorching after the treatment, still he was no where near healthy. Standing to stretch his stiff muscles, the Prince realized how hungry he was.

"Leon, send someone to get something to eat for me and some broth for Merlin. If he wakes up for any amount of time we might be able to get him to eat something."

"Sire would it not be better if you left the tent to get something? It would give you time to figure out whom to take tomorrow and who you wish to remain. I could accompany you, let you know what has been going on in the kingdom since your absence, I am sure a few knights would not mind watching over Merlin for a short amount of time."

The Prince was torn by the decision. He wanted to know what was happening, to know whether the snake king would be forced to pay for his crimes but at the same time he was reluctant to leave Merlin's care to any one else. That was until a solution came to mind.

"Leon, I will go but I need you to stay with him. I trust you to find me if he wakes before I return."

"Sire, with all due respect, I could give you more information than any of the other knights, it would be best if I came with you."

"I appreciate your knowledge and loyalty Sir Leon, but I need you to do this for me. I don't trust the others to get me if Merlin wakes. I feel that any other knight would forsake his health to protect mine."

"Sire, surely if Merlin does wake its nothing we cannot handle." The knight could not imagine the scrawny, wounded servant having the ability to challenge any of the knights, let alone three, still the Prince was adamant.

"Leon, I need you to trust me on this. We spent too many days in a cell and for the most part…" Arthur swallowed hard, "Merlin spent most of those days as practice for a tormentor. He is going to be scared and confused when he wakes and he will not trust anyone, even you. You need to swear to me you will get me first. After everything he has been through, he deserves at least that. I need you to promise Leon."

The knight considered his Prince for a moment; the anxiety was clear on his face, "Alright Arthur, I swear I will get you as soon as he wakes."

Arthur took a deep breath, "Thank you Leon," before he felt comfortable leaving the tent for food and information.

* * *

"Ar…th…" When the dazed warlock didn't get a response he tried again, if anything the prat was still sleeping and his croaky voice was not carrying.

"Arth'r…" He was hot. He knew he had a fever, knew it was a pretty bad fever and he assumed it was from the wounds on his back because it felt like someone had decided to light a fire on his spine. _Where was Arthur? Surely the dollop head hadn't actually left him?_ The warlock decided it was best to open his eyes and get the situation sorted.

"Arth'r, where a-re yo-u, pr…prat?" His voice was just a bit stronger this time but the slurring and his slowly churning mind made it hard for even him to tell what he was saying.

When his eyelids finally decided to cooperate, he squinted his eyes open. What he saw caused his heart to seize. He didn't notice the soft bedroll or the nicely burning fire; he didn't see the dirty bandages stacked near him or the tent that was housing him. All he saw were the few soldiers surrounding him in the confined area. Fear gripped him and his breathing sped up. They were not supposed to have been captured again; they were supposed to have gotten away this time. Merlin struggled to get up. He had to find Arthur and they had to get out of this place before they could hurt either one of them again.

His clumsy attempts to get out of his bedroll without aggravating his injuries caught the attention of one of the knights in the tent. Scrambling out of the last bit of sheets, Merlin stood as straight as he could and glared the man down, "Where is Prince Arthur?" His magic was keeping him upright, the warlock could feel its influence and knew this was more of an adrenaline effect, he would not be able to keep this up long, but hopefully it was long enough.

"I believe he's resting in another tent. He badly needed sleep and food."

"Take me to him," Merlin ordered, confusion working its way into his mind to reside along the fear and anger, _why would they let him rest?_

"I do not think it is a good idea for you to be moving now, if you would just…"

"I said, take me to see the Prince." It was unheard of for a servant to order a knight and the man really was not sure how to take this commanding tone. Not to mention, this crazed servant was holding his arm straight out in front of him, like he was trying to keep the knight from getting too close.

"No." The man was done reasoning with this servant. Sir Leon had mentioned something about allowing the boy to see the Prince but the knight did not want to disturb the royal, not for a mere servant in any case.

* * *

Leon was studying maps of the area in the corner of the room when he heard a soft voice calling from the direction of the bed. At first he just assumed Merlin was talking in his sleep again but then the voice got stronger. When he heard it a third time, he knew the servant was awake, he also knew he needed to get Arthur. The knight took off out of the tent; running to the meeting place where he knew Arthur would be talking to the men and eating. Reaching the area quickly, Leon easily spotted the Prince speaking with a few other knights. Leon's presence was almost instantly noted and Arthur jumped off the stump he was sitting on, half eaten stew dropping forgotten in the dirt, and tore toward the direction of their tent. He knew why Leon had left his post.

* * *

Arthur made it to the tent in time to hear the knight deny Merlin's request to see the Prince.

The warlock held his arm in front of him, his eyes starting to turn when Arthur screamed, "Merlin, NO!" Instantly, the injured man dropped his arm and turned in the Prince's direction, a surprised expression painted his features.

"Arth'r?"

Arthur just stepped toward him and tried to calm his terrified friend, the man was shaking and he knew it was because of more than just the fever. Merlin needed to get back to bed and rest.

"It's me, cabbage head." The Prince took hold of his arms at this point, keeping him upright as he started to sag. The confused knight stepped back, giving the Prince room.

"Wh…where are we?" He still had not recognized Leon and could only stare at the two other knights in the tent.

"With a Camelot vanguard. They were coming to the east to take care of the lands bordering Cenred's kingdom." Arthur could see the fear and confusion in his fevered eyes and even his arms were hot to the touch.

"Safe?" The Prince sighed with relief, at least he realized that, but that was when the tears welling up in his eyes started to fall because the full force of what he had almost done made it through the fog that was his brain.

"I almost," remembering the other guards in the room, "I almost…hurt him. I'm so sorry Arthur. I…I didn't know…I'm sorry." His friend started to crumple and Arthur felt himself breaking. Here was this man who was continuing to suffer and felt the need to apologize for it.

"Shhhh…It's alright, Merlin." He wrapped his arms around his friend and held him for a moment, for once he did not care that there were others in the room. For once it did not matter. Whispering gently to him, "I promised I would take care of you and this is no different. Even if something had happened, it would not have mattered. But everything is fine, for now I need you to eat and get back to bed. We are setting off for Camelot in the morning so you need to get as much rest now as you can."

* * *

As soon as Leon heard the command, he ran back to the clearing and grabbed a bowl of broth, the whole time he was pondering the fear and command in the Prince's voice when he had ordered Merlin not to do…something, it was a bit of an odd occurrence. But then many of the things those two did were a bit odd. Still he figured it was Merlin so it really could not be harmful in any way and let the thought pass from his mind, if Arthur wanted him to know he would tell him; there was no sense is mulling it over without all the facts. When he got back to the tent Merlin was sitting on the bed, Arthur must have noticed he was missing and guessed what he was doing.

* * *

Arthur forced Merlin to drink some of the broth before helping him lay back down on his stomach. The man was asleep almost instantly. The bandages were rewrapped because some of them had bled through with his earlier stunt. Merlin needed to get to Gaius as fast as possible, this fever needed to be broken and the wounds actually stitched. Once Merlin was finally taken care of, Arthur lay down on the neighboring bed and was asleep as fast as his stricken friend.

* * *

**Yah, they have finally made it back to Camelot's lands! So in case anyone is wondering and still reading the three versions I went through before this one were:**

**1. Arthur just walked them all the way back to the castle - I figured that even for King Arthur, this was a little humanly impossible which is why I ended up with the help**

**2. Arthur walked most of the way before he caught up with the patrol and forced Leon to turn at then and ride hard back to the castle - This was the transition piece between the first one and this final edit, I still didn't think that any person could reasonably carry someone that far which is why I settled on the current story line**

**3. At the end, Merlin did use magic and threw the knight backward just a Arthur and Leon entered the room - I thought that would drop the story too far out of canon because then there would be two (Leon does not count) untrustworthy people who knew his secret and Arthur would have to take care of that**

**Well, there you have my thought process and how we ended up with the story we have. Also I hope Arthur wasn't too out of canon at the beginning, in my mind he's basically losing it at this point and it willing to do whatever it takes to get home.**

**Thank you all so much for reading! **

**I hope you have a good day!**

**- Lily**


	9. Chapter 9

**I absolutely love writing this story and I am so glad that so many of you still like it! Once again, you have all been amazing, I have never had a response like this to a story and it makes me feel great and is one of the reasons that I keep writing, other than the fact that I desperately miss these characters!**

**I will say, I'm not sure why these chapters keep getting long, I actually had to cut some stuff out of the one just to keep it at a reasonable length. I hope this one comes across well and once again I hope its not too OOC. **

**Well without any more chattering from me, here is the ninth chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

_Previously: Once Merlin was finally taken care of, Arthur lay down on the neighboring bed and was asleep as fast as his stricken friend._

* * *

When he woke the next morning it took Arthur a moment to realize where he was, the soft bed confused him and the lack of Merlin worried him for a moment but then he looked to his side. His friend was still asleep on the cot but, even from his position, he could tell Merlin was no better. His face was still the horribly pale pallor and his wounds had bled through the bandages again. He would have to rewrap them before they headed home because the ride would do nothing to help, if anything, Arthur was slightly worried it would make his condition worse. Still, they needed to get home; there were not enough supplies here to save him. Pulling himself out of bed, the Prince moved over to Merlin to try and wake him, he hoped that after what happened yesterday maybe his body would be healed enough but again the warlock refused to wake. The fever was burning as badly as it had been the day before; the pillow and the blanket were soaked through with sweat and he kicked himself for not asking one of the knights to keep him cool. _How much longer could he go with a fever this high?_ Again Arthur felt the pull of fear (he was really getting sick of that) but he pushed it down and started to unwrap the bandages, knowing that keeping the wounds clean was the best thing he could do to help control the infection. Taking a minute to look over the rest of the injuries he thankfully realized that at least they were slowly healing. Now it was just the bleeding, temperature, lack of food, and emotional toil had to be the reasons for his persistent unconsciousness. Sighing at the list, he picked up the clean bandages and as he worked he talked to his friend.

"You know Merlin, it is very unbecoming for a Crowned Prince to be taking care of his servant. I believe that fact might actually make you the worst servant I have ever seen." No smart aleck remark came back at him.

"I think that for this little stunt you will have to clean out the entirety of the royal stables for the next month or maybe polish all the armor of every knight of Camelot or…you will have to polish all the armor and shine all the boots. Trust me, Merlin, I can think of plenty of punishments that I will have to use if you do not wake up." He paused for a moment and realized how absolutely stupid it was to threaten someone who was not listening.

Sighing he finished up the bandaging, if he was being honest with himself he was getting quite good at it and that sobering thought made him realize the reason why he was threatening his unconscious servant.

"Merlin, you need to wake up. I need you to be alright."

Pulling a borrowed shirt over his head and his hunting around his shoulders, Arthur laid the man back down on his stomach, draping the blanket over his lithe frame, "Merlin, I have to find Leon, if you wake please try to remember where we are and do not blow anyone away with magic." Hoping that at least some of that would get through he set out to find Leon, the knight would be one of the few taking them back to Camelot today.

* * *

It did not take long to prepare for the group's departure. The portion that took the longest was getting Merlin ready to travel. They had to make sure he had enough padding on his back to keep the bandages from shifting too much. Arthur took him, much to Leon's dismay, but there had been no argument the knight could make that would dissuade the Prince. They were a good day from Camelot at marching pace and the sooner they got going the better. With such a small force, they should be able to make it to the castle before night fell. The men left behind had been ordered to hold their position and continue on with their mission; Leon left Sir Boars in control of the vanguard as he escorted the Prince home.

Leon and Arthur took their place at the head of the company and turned their horses in the direction of Camelot.

* * *

The sun was inching its way toward the horizon when Arthur saw the familiar trees of the outlying forest. They were almost home. They had ridden hard only stopping for short times to eat and water the horses. He would pay for the pace later, his own bruises and bumps were protesting the horse's swift movement, for once he thanked the gods Merlin was unconscious. He took a second to think about where they would be if luck had not shown them the vanguard. As much as he wanted to say he could have gotten them here, he knew it wasn't true. They would both probably be dead without the help of the knights. Maybe the gods had not completely turned their backs on them after all.

Leon's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "How is he, Sire?"

"I don't know Leon, he will not wake but I think it's because of the fever. Gaius will know what to do."

"What will you do when you get to the castle?"

Arthur looked over at him confused, so the knight continued, "Your father will want to know what happened. He will want to hear it from you."

The Prince scowled, a slight annoyance growing out of nowhere, of course his father would want to see him. But then he realized Leon was still talking, "…will go to the King and explain what I know but he will not wait long to find you. He will not want you staying in Gaius' chambers for long."

Leon was well aware that Arthur was going to try and stay in the physician's chambers, he also knew that the King had been desperately worried about his son and would not take well to being upstaged by a servant.

Thankfully, the Prince seemed to follow his thought, "I know Leon. After you speak with him just explain that I was injured as well and needed to see the physician. That will explain my reasons for being there." He was quiet for a moment before adding, "Thank you."

It was then that the white spires of the castle came into view. They were the most beautiful sight the Prince had seen in a long while. Arthur could not keep himself from leaning down and whispering to Merlin, "Just a bit longer, hold on just a bit longer, please." Just like every other time he had tried to talk to him throughout the day, his friend didn't acknowledge his presence.

* * *

Guinevere was walking along the ramparts trying to pull some warmth from the fading sun when she saw the small cluster of riders approaching the citadel. Seeing the red cloaks of the knights and knowing it was probably from the vanguard, Gwen started to run. She knew the secondary mission and with such as small force it could mean they had information about Arthur and Merlin, if not the men themselves. She took the fastest way to the courtyard at a run. She was aware that it was a pace unbecoming of a lady but still she did not falter.

She made it to the courtyard as they were dismounting the horses. The first person she noticed was Leon and his face was twisted in a look of worry. Then she saw Arthur and she had to fight the urge to run to him, to make sure he was all right but he was moving on his own so she scanned the group for Merlin and she realized she could not see him. Knowing the servant would have been near the Prince she turned her attention back to Arthur. He dismounted slowly but instead of walking from the horse, he turned back and pulled something, _someone,_ Gwen realized, out of the saddle. A stone dropped into the pit of her stomach. Arthur was handling this man too gently but thankfully the body was not covered; whoever it was, was injured and Gwen knew exactly who by the look on Arthur's face. That was why she had not seen Merlin. Her hand flew to her mouth as the Prince caught her eye. Whatever had happened to Merlin had been horrible. The Prince walked past her, never breaking stride and she turned to follow him.

"Guinevere, I'm sorry to ask this of you but can you run to Gaius? Tell him I'm bringing Merlin to him and tell him he is badly injured."

Tears sprang to her eyes, "Of course Arthur." And she took off running again.

* * *

Gaius was a nervous wreck. Gwen had burst into the room not five minutes ago and told him that Arthur and Merlin had been found. Initially, he had been elated, but knew there had to be something behind her worried expression. Then she told him Merlin had been injured, badly injured and that Arthur would be bringing him up soon and they had to be ready. She helped him clear off the bed and set out a few tonics, herbs, bandages, and water but she could not really tell him what to expect: This is why when Arthur came banging through the door with a dirty, unconscious Merlin in his arms, the court physician froze.

"Gaius…" Arthur trailed off, shocked by the look of alarm that crossed the old man's face as he stared at the bundle in his arms. He tried again, "Gaius…Gaius please, Merlin needs help." The physician's eyes turned to his and Arthur saw the change in his demeanor. He watched as the impartial physician's façade slipped into place and Arthur was thankful for the change, Merlin didn't need more people to worry over him, he needed more people who could help him.

"Lay him on the table and then I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

The Prince did at he was told. Placing Merlin gently on the bed on his stomach, Arthur proceeded to peel the hunting jacket and, with Gaius' help, the loaned shirt off his friend. That is when they got to the bandages. Arthur was almost hesitant to show Merlin's back to his guardian because he knew it was horrible and painful; still it needed to be done. Both men carefully cut the linens away from the emaciated body and Gaius gasped as he saw the state of his ward's back.

"I'm so sorry Gaius." Was all the Prince could say, watered eyes matching those of the court physician.

Knowing that if Arthur continued to apologize both of them would end up useless, Gaius pushed all those thoughts from his mind, shaky façade falling back into place. "It's alright Arthur, right now we need to help him. If you can, I need a list of the ways he was injured."

Gulping down his tears, he started the list, knowing it would be almost as hard to hear as it was to see, "The worst problems are the whip wounds and the broken arm," Gaius looked down, he had not even seen that, "after that as far as I can tell, he's got a couple broken ribs and far too much bruising. He has not eaten enough since we were taken and he hasn't had much to drink…" The physician stopped listening for a moment and looking down at his ward whispering, "oh my poor boy," when he realized Arthur had not stopped there. "…gause used a spell, but all it did was cause pain I do not think it had any lingering effects. At least none that I felt but she only used it on me twice." It was not a cry for attention, Arthur seemed to have been removed from the situation and he was just telling Gaius what he knew, still the physician had to ask,

"Sire? Are you injured as well?"

"No Gaius, I'm fine. He convinced them to tor…torture him. I do not know how but he did. Please help him." The last part petered out to a whisper and Gaius grimly shook his head.

"I will, or rather we will. Gwen can you please begin to clean these wounds, they are infected and need to be seen to first, make sure to use…" The rest of Gaius' instructions failed to reach his ears as Arthur suddenly realized how tired he was, his vision narrowed in on the chairs near the fire and for as badly as he wanted to be helpful to Merlin he needed to sleep, if only for a few days. He had gotten his friend to people who could save him and now his body was reminding him what he had gone through. As he trudged over to the increasingly inviting chair, every step seemed to bring more pain and fatigue still he knew none of it was comparable to what Merlin was dealing with so he kept his mouth shut. Because Gaius was court physician he really should have seen to the Prince first, not that he would have anything to do with that. His friend needed the attention more and he would have it. So until Gaius had time for him, he was just going to sleep in this chair.

* * *

Gaius finished giving Gwen the instructions when he looked up with some for Arthur, only to see him collapsed in the chair. Gaius smiled slightly to himself, of course the Prince was exhausted, checking on him quickly to make sure he really was alright and finding him sleeping, Gaius grabbed the needle, thread, and salve he would need before he turned his attentions back to Merlin.

The boy's back was a mess. Most of the wounds were infected, a horrible red color with white discharge blending with the blood that was still leaking from the wounds. It was obvious that someone (probably Arthur) had cleaned them but that it had been left for a few days before that had happened. The skin was torn in horrible patterns where the whip had crossed over itself, all of it needed to be mended but it would take time to do. Gaius squared his shoulders and set to work on the first one. Pouring some healing liquid into the wound before beginning to stitch it closed. He would have Gwen apply the balm when she was done cleaning each wound.

* * *

It was a good couple of hours later, Gaius and Gwen had managed to finish half of Merlin's back and Arthur was still sleeping soundly in his chair, when the door slammed open. The offended wood bounced off the back wall like it wanted everyone to know its pain and it succeeded in scaring everyone in the room to some extent. Gaius was thankful he hadn't been stitching at the time, Gwen jumped and spilled some of the salve she was applying, even Merlin shifted slightly, and Arthur was up and out of the chair more quickly than Gaius would have thought possible given the deep sleep he had been in. What Gaius found interesting, was the defensive stance the Prince immediately snapped to, he knew the man was trained to fight but this was an adapted default, he had done this before and for a moment the physician could not help but wonder what Arthur had not told them and he was not sure he wanted to know.

The King however, noticed none of this. He strode into the room, an exclamation of relief already on his lips.

"Arthur, thank the gods you're alright!"

The King moved to grab hold of Arthur's arms to look him over when Arthur, still trying to shake the sleep from his eyes, scoffed, muttering under his breath, "The gods did nothing."

Looking his son over, Uther turned to Gaius wanting to know for sure how Arthur was faring when he realized the physician was fussing over someone on the patient bed. It was then he should have realized it was his son's servant, Leon had told him that was who Arthur had carried into the castle.

"Gaius…" The physician didn't answer, although it was through no fault of his own, he was too focused on Merlin to pay the King any mind. When the King called for the guardian again and again there was no answer, Arthur realized what was happening and distracted Uther before he could get angry with either of the men.

"Father, I'm alright. Gaius said it was nothing that a little food and a hot bath cannot wash away." The arrogance in his voice was forced; he was too tired to really put any effort behind his statement.

When the King turned back to Arthur his eyes softened almost immediately, "Of course Arthur. I am glad that you are safe. We will talk tomorrow after you have had more time to rest, in your own chambers of course." Uther turned to leave before seeming to remember something and looking back at Arthur, who was staring longingly at the chair, said, "We will have to decide what is to happen with your servant though…"

Arthur did not hear the rest of the statement. His back went rigid, his heartbeat sped up, and his breathing became ragged, he was panicking. Instantly he was on alert, but all he managed to stammer out was an unintelligible word that sounded like, "What?" before his anger hit him, forcing his mind into focus once again. Uther looked at him strangely for a moment before elaborating on his earlier statement,

"Sir Leon told me what happened. That Cenred tortured your servant for much of the time that you were missing. We will need to prepare ourselves to defend against any information the boy gave the King under duress." Uther completely missed the daggers that were being launched his way by Arthur's eyes; surprisingly the Prince was able to hold his tongue. At least he was able to hold it for a moment, "Also, I'm assuming we should find you a new servant…"

And Arthur lost it. Any control he had seemingly pulled out of mid-air vanished and he acutely felt all the pain he had been subjected too and all the torment he had witnessed Merlin take in silence. He for some reason, found himself back in that cell with the one basic drive to protect screaming to the forefront of his mind. Seeing the King looking at Merlin in the bed, Arthur felt the need to shield him and taking two powerful steps he positioned himself between the King and his servant. One word on his lips, "No." In that quiet command he poured a sense of conviction and authority that not even the oblivious King could deny.

Uther narrowed his eyes at his son's uncharacteristic display of hostility. "What?"

Arthur's eyes flashed dangerously, "You not have listened to Leon, if you did you would know none of that is necessary. You do not fully know what happened in the time we were captive so do not for a moment presume that you know the limits of his bravery. And no, I will not be finding another manservant. Merlin is perfectly capable."

"You are overstepping your bounds Arthur, do not forget he is a servant and I am your King." Apparently all the fatherly affection from before vanished with Arthur's patience.

"And you are overstepping your bounds _father_. There is nothing to prepare for because he refused to give up anything to save himself. That is _why_ he is injured so badly. Leon would have told you that because I made sure he realized it." Arthur's voice was rising to a near shout. "Merlin begged and pleaded with _me_ not to say anything. He convinced them to torture him in my stead; he did it to protect this Kingdom and its Prince. All your worries are unwarranted father. So I repeat, no I will in no way be finding a new servant."

Uther's anger was getting the better of him, he heard what his son was saying but when the audacity of defending a servant mingled with the stress and fear he felt when his son had been missing, his anger did not allow him to see the virtue of what had been done for his son.

"You are defending a servant! Maybe a valiant servant, but a servant nonetheless! You will do as I tell you because you are my son!" The King was screaming at Arthur, willing him to give in, if for no other reason than just to prove that he was the authority in the room.

Arthur however, screamed back, "I'm defending a noble man! I'm defending someone who risked his life to protect this kingdom, me, and you, father. I'm defending my friend!" Arthur was agitated, he could feel his wounds starting to protest and he could feel Gaius' eyes glaring into his back. Even Gwen had stopped what she was doing and instead staring at the two nobles while holding Merlin's shoulder steady as the man shifted on the bed. The knowledge that Merlin needed quiet was floating somewhere in his mind, masked only slightly by the haze of anger and fear that had taken up residence.

Meanwhile, the term 'friend' set Uther's blood to a boil. Not only had Arthur decided now was a good time to defend a servant, he also thought it was a good time to refer to him as a friend. Had his son lost all sense of propriety?

"Friend! You've become friends with a _servant_?" He spat the last word in the same tone he reserved for sorcerers; Arthur did not miss the irony. "I understand the need to credit him for his actions but he is not worthy of your friendship! He's nothing better than a commoner!"

Arthur wanted to hit his father in that instance, assuring himself a place in the cells for the next few days, but once again Merlin stopped him. Apparently the shouting had woken him (image that) from his unconsciousness and while he was not completely awake he was aware that Arthur was in the room. So when the warlock whispered his friend's name, all the fight immediately drained out of the Prince and he turned his back on his father to see to his friend.

Gaius realized what this meant and stood to intercept the King before he could do any more damage. Placing his hands in front of him in a placating gesture, Gaius attempted to reason with the crazed King.

"Sire, please. The boy needs rest not shouting." Unsure of which boy the physician was talking about, Uther took to glaring at Gaius, his rage evident in his gaze. "Sire, Arthur will be fine in time. He is tired and unsure of what he is saying. All he knows is that he saw his servant tor…tortured," Uther did not miss how difficult it was for Gaius to get that out, "for almost two weeks. You have raised your son to value his people and that is what he is doing. Please, sire. For the sake of your son, let them both rest." Uther's anger cooled enough to allow him to nod in acceptance, he realized what Gaius was saying held merit. If his son needed time to heal and get back to normal, he would have it, assuming not too much time was needed.

"Tell Arthur I expect him in the throne room tomorrow. Regardless of what information the boy withheld, we need to prepare for Cenred."

Turning on his heel, Uther left the room and Gaius heaved a sigh of relief. Arthur would only have a few hours to collect himself, but at least now both boys would have a chance to begin to heal correctly.

He turned back to the bed to see Arthur in the position he had been in before, one hand clutching Merlin's while he used his other hand to gently wipe a cooled cloth across his forehead and arms. The most striking aspect was what he was murmuring to the boy, words of security in gentle, comforting tones. Merlin had quieted significantly under his care and Gaius could not help but wonder, for the second time, what had really happened in that cell.

With that disquieting thought, Gaius moved back to the patient's bed, he needed to finish the stitching. It would still be another few hours before they were completely done. The sun had long set and Gaius knew that everyone was starting to feel the stress of the day, Arthur more acutely than either himself or Gwen. This was what led Gaius to his next statement.

"Sire…" The Prince ignored him. "Arthur," the man angled his way, "I think it would be best if you stayed in your room tonight, it would be much more comfortable and if you have to face your father tomorrow it would be best to be rested."

"No Gaius. I will stay here. I have spent the last two weeks either in a cell or on the ground, sleeping in that chair will still be a step up." The Prince looked up at him with tired eyes but the determination still shown through.

"Sire, it would be for the best…"

"Gaius please, I cannot leave. Not now." The physician relented, grabbing an extra blanket he handed it over to the Prince, "at least take the bed in Merlin's room."

Arthur recognized the compromise and took the blanket with a thankful nod. He dragged himself up to his friend's room.

With the Prince taken care of, Gaius turned to Gwen, "You should go as well. Morgana will be expecting you."

Guinevere was torn. Most of her was screaming to stay with Arthur and Merlin but a small part; the logical part told her it was her duty to attend to her mistress. Standing stiffly, she turned to Gaius, "I will be back as soon as Morgana is seen to."

"Thank you Gwen." The future queen hurried out the door to complete her chores as quickly as possible.

Gaius got back to work on the stitching, it would take him a little longer to finish now but it would get done.

* * *

Arthur dropped into Merlin's bed and instantly regretted it. The drop hurt. This bed was rock hard. It was not something that the injured man would be able to sleep on when he was finally able to stay in his own room again. Making a mental note to get something more padded up here soon, Arthur dropped off into a deep sleep.

* * *

He woke up slightly more rested than he had the day before but with a gnawing feeling in his gut. Stumbling out of the bed and down the stairs he knew he needed to check on Merlin before he got ready for his chat with his father. Gaius was already awake and seeing to his ward.

"How is he Gaius?"

"About the same as when you brought him in. The fever is still too high and I've been up with Gwen trying to bring it down. But she had to go to Morgana this morning and was not able to grab any more water."

Arthur eyeing the empty bucket snatched it up and stuck his head out the door. A servant was passing by carrying a tray of food.

"You…what's your name?" The boy spun so fast, Arthur thought he was going to lose the apples.

He was a boy of maybe ten or eleven and it was obvious that he had not been working for very long as he tried to bow low over the food, "Ethan, your highness."

"Whom do you serve?"

"I am one of the servants for Councilman Ulric."

"Not today you're not."

The boy looked up at him with terrified eyes, "I'm sorry, Sire?" He managed to stammer.

"You will be helping the Court Physician today. Anything he needs you will fetch it for him. Beginning with fresh water from the well."

"Sire, I have to drop off Sir Ulric's breakfast."

Arthur thought for a moment before saying, "I will take his breakfast and explain to him what is happening and that you will be in Gaius' employee for the rest of the day."

The boy was obviously confused by his orders, he didn't want to disappoint his master but at the same time he couldn't refuse the Prince or allow the noble to take the food, "Si…sire…"

"It's fine, Ethan. This will not be spoken of again and you will get in no trouble for this. Now please, go get the water." Taking hold of the tray and swapping it with the bucket, Arthur moved off to the Councilman's chambers before heading back to his own. There were some perks to being Prince, at least he knew Ulric couldn't say no.

* * *

After dropping the food off to a surprised and slightly perturbed noble, taking a bath, and finally putting on a new set of clothing, Arthur was ready to speak with his father. The Prince mulled over what he was going to say as another, altogether more efficient servant, flitted around his room. He cleaned and polished without being asked and Arthur found the lack of conversation draining. The sooner Merlin was healthy the better. Still the Prince knew it was not this new servant's fault, he did feel slightly sorry for not wanting to learn the man's name but in some twisted way learning it would mean Merlin had been replaced. And that was not possible; no one could be as insolent as his friend and make still make it in this castle. The thought made him chuckle as he set out to talk to the King. Merlin would be fine and the annoying chattering he enjoyed so much would take the place of this silence.

* * *

Morgana sat at the left hand of the King, Arthur stood before them looking much better than he had a only day ago but still there was an undercurrent of concern visible under his expression, the Prince was worried for his servant. Arthur was to give a full account of what happened and Morgana picked up on the tension in the room. Uther was still angry with Arthur for his display the previous day and Arthur was not particularly happy with his father's opinion, still the Prince stood tall in front of them. He would plead Merlin's case in his description.

"You may begin, Prince Arthur." The authoritative voice of the King rang throughout the hall.

"Yes Sire." The Prince told the story from the beginning, telling about the slaughter of the knights by Cenred's men, their abduction (he left out the part about surrendering when the oaf had a knife to Merlin's neck), and waking up in the cells. Arthur described what happened to him then he paused for a moment before describing what happened next. He told them about what happened to Merlin, the entire time watching the expressions of the people watching him. Uther was still impassive but then again the Prince was only talking about a beating. The odd reaction was Morgana's, she had slumped in her seat when he was telling the earlier part of the story but when he mentioned Merlin's treatment she sat up a little higher and seemed to actually pay attention. The Prince continued but realized he should probably look into that reaction. He told about the rest of the days in captivity, about every wound his friend had obtained in an effort to get across to his father how much he had done. Both their expressions changed as the story progressed, the King betrayed his changing opinion of the servant but Morgana actually seemed to be enjoying the story. There was a light in her eyes that Arthur had not noticed since before she was taken. There was something wrong here. Then he mentioned Morgause. His father's expression darkened and Morgana's took on a wistful look. He told of the spell and then their escape and the death of Morgause. Uther's expression brightened and Morgana's fell as a small flash of fear crossed her beautiful face. Anyone else would have missed it but Arthur was watching for it. The Prince's brain kicked into overdrive still he forced himself to remain calm and finish his tale.

* * *

Morgana panicked when she heard what Arthur had said. It wasn't possible; Morgause had told her long ago that a mortal blade could not kill a high priestess yet the young Prince was claiming he had killed her to protect that vile servant. Still, she could not betray herself yet. She sat and quietly listened to the rest of his tale, trying to figure out the best way to get in touch with her sister. When it was finished she realized the King was speaking,

"I apologize for my behavior yesterday. I understand now what you were saying when you were defending your servant. I realize now that we do not have any weakness to strength because of his sufferings. He is indeed a trustworthy man." For some reason, Arthur found the accolades funny, it probably had something to do with the fact that the King was praising a powerful warlock but he couldn't help the absurd feeling that came over him. Then he looked expectantly at Morgana. She should say something; Merlin was her friend as well, at least he used to be.

For her part, the ward looked distracted. When she noticed Arthur was watching her she made an attempt at empathy, stating, "I hope your servant will be alright Arthur. I am aware that Guinevere has been spending her extra time aiding Gaius, she need not attend to me until Gaius says that Merlin is healing."

"Thank you, Morgana, I know that Gaius will welcome the help." Arthur could not stop the gut feeling that told him the whole statement was dodgy, forced. Morgana seemed too uncomfortable and eager to leave the room.

"Sire, if you would excuse me," the King inclined his head toward her. "I find the torture of someone so…helpless…appalling and I am going to retire to my room."

The King looked at his ward with affection, "Of course Morgana. I will send a replacement servant to help you since you have so thoughtfully allowed yours to aid Gaius." Arthur saw past the façade. She exited slowly out of the room, playing at being sickened but as soon as she was out of sight of the King and his son she ran to her room.

* * *

Uther looked at Arthur. While he looked much better than he had the previous day, the King knew that he had been injured as well.

"Arthur, have you had Gaius take a look at you?"

Slightly annoyed at the question he stated, "Yes, father." He lied. "It is nothing but bruises. I'm fine, I just need to rest."

"Well, if that is the case, you will sleep in your own room tonight. Camelot needs her Prince ready to fight and you will get much better rest there."

Recognizing the command for what it was, Arthur figured he would take it. His father was being much more understanding than he assumed he would be and for now, he would accept it. Still for as tired as he still was, he couldn't go back to his room before stopping at Gaius' chambers.

* * *

As Arthur was left to check on his friend, Morgana made it to her chambers. Locking herself in she reached out to her sister.

_"Sister, can you hear me?"_ For a few tense minutes she heard nothing and no connection formed, so she tried again, panic covering her tone. _"Sister, please. What Arthur has said cannot be true. He said he killed you."_

The connection held this time, and Morgana heard her sister's voice ringing through her head, _"Do not worry Morgana. I am not dead. The worthless Prince wounded me nothing else. We do have a problem though."_

Morgana could hear the weakness in her sister's voice. Arthur had wounded her badly and she felt the flame of hatred rise up within her, _"The arrogant Prince believing he killed you could work to our advantage, sister. What is the problem?"_

_"The servant."_

_"Merlin? From what I have heard he is dying."_

_"He will not give up so easily, he has magic Morgana." _Her stomach dropped.

_"What?! That is not possible! Arthur would never defend him if that were the case."_

_"He has defended him and I believe he will continue to do so. I also know that if he lives we will have a much harder time taking Camelot. We must decide what to do with him."_ Morgause was angry, Morgana could feel it coming through the connection; she too was harboring hatred toward Merlin.

_"I could turn him into Uther and allow the King to deal with him."_ Morgana got a sick excitement over imaging him on the stake.

_"I do not believe that is the right course of action, Arthur would not see him harmed. We must do it ourselves. But for now I must go, sister. I need to rest. We will decide what to do with the servant tomorrow. Sleep well, sister."_

_"And you, please take care of yourself."_

Morgana felt the link sever, mind still reeling from what Morgause just told her. _Magic!_ _Merlin has magic!_ Then she realized he could have helped her, helped her understand what was happening to her and yet he turned his back on her. Twice the seemingly trustworthy servant had betrayed her. She would offer to kill him.

* * *

**So I have to tell you what I am toying with for this next chapter. Morgana knows that Merlin has magic and I currently have two chapters in the works: One where she actually does attempt to kill Merlin and one where she is advised to wait for a more opportune time. **

**This is my question: Which one would my readers rather read? **

**Having her attempt to kill him will definitely stretch out the story but might be a little too much whump for our favorite servant so I'm leaving it up to you...let me know which one you wish to read. **

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I also hope you have a great rest of the day.**

**Best,**

**Lily**


	10. Chapter 10

**So once again I find that I must beg your forgiveness. I wish I could do this for a living it would make things so much easier! I have been looking for a job since I just graduated from University not too long ago and that has been taking much more time that I thought it would.**

**Still I was able to finish another chapter for our heroes that I hope you enjoy. I will say I did listen to my audience when it comes to the revenge bit and I hope you like what I have planned.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Previously: Twice the seemingly trustworthy servant had betrayed her. She would offer to kill him. _

* * *

As Arthur was making his way to the tower, his mind was a mess. Something had been off when he had been talking to his father. For one thing, his father apologized but that was not what he was mulling over now. He could not get Morgana's look, the sparkle she could not hide when he had told them of Merlin's treatment, out of his head. She was his friend; at least that is what the Prince had thought. He was so caught up in his thoughts he crashed into a young boy struggling to move quickly with a full water bucket. A young boy he recognized.

"Ethan?" The boy had managed to hold onto most of the water but that did not stop the slosh from soaking into Arthur's cloak.

"I…I'm so sorry milord," the boy croaked, setting the bucket down and moving to dry off the clothing.

"Its fine Ethan, where were you going with the bucket?"

The boy's reddened face turned serious, "To Gaius, sire. He needed more water for Merlin."

Arthur felt the irrational panic churning again. Snatching the bucket away from the surprised boy, he took the last of the strides to the chamber.

Throwing the door open, Arthur stepped up to the patient bed, holding out the bucket like a peace offering in return for the abuse of the door, when he realized Gaius had not even looked up from what he was doing.

"Set it down Ethan." As he finished, he looked up and saw Arthur standing before him, the young boy that had been so helpful for the last day standing sheepishly behind the Prince.

"What's wrong with him Gaius?" Was the blunt greeting.

"I'm not sure Sire. I cleansed every wound again this morning but his fever is still continuing to rise."

"What?" Arthur could hear the worry in his voice, he couldn't contain it.

"I can only assume it is from the lack of nutrients. His body just does not have the strength to fight off the lingering infection. I know for certain that if we do not get this fever under control, there's…" The physician trailed off, unsure of how to tell the Prince that his friend might not make it.

"'There's' what Gaius?"

"Arthur I'm sorry but if we cannot get this taken care of, there is a good chance he won't last the night."

All semblance of exhausted dissipated immediately, "What can I do?"

"Nothing Arthur. We need some way to get him to eat and to keep him cool. This is not something that can be cured with a magical flower or root. We have to help him fight through the old fashioned way. I know you're father will want you to return to your room to rest but…"

Arthur interrupted his train of thought, "No. I will stay here tonight."

"I don't know if that is a good idea, Uther will not appreciate you staying here again."

"I don't care…" The Prince paused, "I need you to understand something Gaius…" gods he hated talking about emotion, "He…ummm…Gaius, Merlin…he…protected me. Through everything that happened, he made sure I was never harmed." He swallowed hard as Gaius just stared at him and despite himself, his voice strengthened, "He's my friend and I can't leave him, I can't ignore him, so please, Gaius, stop asking me to."

Gaius knew he should fight the Prince but something in his tone, the sincerity of his words, the physician couldn't. Arthur had changed and Gaius decided it was best to accept his help. Thinking of the next course of action, he turned to Ethan,

"Ethan, I need you to go down to the kitchens and get some broth. Make sure to get something without chunks in it." The boy nodded quickly and took off out of the room.

Gaius turned to the Prince, "Arthur I will need your help. If we want him to drink the broth, we will have to sit him up to force him to swallow."

"You want me to help you get him situated?"

"If you could, Ethan is not strong enough and Gwen is resting in her room."

"Of course, Gaius. Whatever I can do to help."

Silence descended over the pair as they sat and waited for Ethan to return.

* * *

The boy returned not five minutes later, a bowl of steaming broth clutched carefully in his hands. Arthur immediately went over to Merlin and taking hold of both shoulders, careful of the bandaged one, sat him up so Gaius could try to pour the soup down his throat. The Prince was surprised at how light his friend felt. He had carried him for so long that even his emaciated body felt heavy, now that he had a little time to rest, he could not understand how any person could survive being so thin. Suddenly, the reason for Gaius' worry made sense. He knew the body stopped helping itself once it reached a certain point and Merlin was there.

They had to wait for a few moments but once the broth was cool, Gaius attempted to pour it into his lax mouth. At first Merlin fought them, he would not swallow any of it. A quarter of the soup ended up on the floor near the patient's bed and with Gaius' frustration, Arthur felt his taking root. Doing the only thing he knew how to do, he yelled at and ordered his servant to do something.

"Dammit Merlin, we're trying to help you! For once could you just accept it?"

After another try and some more spilled soup, the warlock started to drink what was slowly being poured down his throat. Arthur gave a quick cry of relief, they would help him through this, he would survive.

* * *

Ethan watched the scene with a horrified amazement. The Prince was helping feed his servant, had offered to do so. He could not even get Lord Ulric to say hello to him. He felt a sinking feeling when he realized that if he stopped showing up, the councilman would not even notice his absence outside of the lack of food. He did not think the scene in front of him was possible, let alone with the Prince of Camelot. He knew some of the King's temperament and was thankful to see very little of it in his son. Suddenly, he felt a wave of loyalty toward the young royal; this was someone that he would trust on the throne, and for once in the three short months he had been in this castle he felt a strange sense of hope. He had not wanted to come to Camelot, had wanted to stay home with his family but when his mother had died, his father had no choice but to send him somewhere to work. His little sisters still needed to be cared for and as the oldest it was his job to help take care of them. For the first time since he arrived, he was comforted knowing that not everyone was like Ulric and Uther; this Prince would make a good King. The Prince's frustration-coated, shouted order pulled him out of his thoughts, apparently Merlin really did not want to drink the broth. A few moments later he heard another cry from Prince Arthur but this one spoke of respite, the servant finally started to eat.

Ethan knew he should go back to Ulric but he wanted to make sure there was nothing else Gaius or the Prince needed before he ran off so he waited in the shadows.

* * *

Once they had finally gotten Merlin to drink the last of the broth, they laid him back down and pulled a blanket over his slim frame. He was still hot to the touch and Arthur grabbed the bucket and cloth to help ease that while Gaius took a seat in the nearby chair. Ethan took that time to speak up,

"Gaius, sir, is there anything else I can do to help?"

"Ethan? I'm sorry, my boy I didn't realize you were still in the room. Shouldn't you be seeing to Lord Ulric?"

"Yes sir, but I wanted to make sure there was nothing else you needed before I went back."

"Not for now but thank you."

Turning to the Prince the boy stammered, "Pr-Prince Arthur, is there anything you require, Sire?"

Arthur was seeing to his friend when the boy addressed him and turning tired eyes to the servant dismissed him,

"I'm fine, thank you Ethan."

With that the boy left the room, silently vowing to be back in as soon as he could.

* * *

That left Arthur and Gaius alone and unsure of how to broach the next topic, the tired physician just started candidly,

"Arthur, I need to know everything that happened to him. If this fever is because of more than just nutrition I need to know."

The Prince had been dreading this conversation since he had woken up this morning, and while he knew it was necessary, still did not want to be the one to tell it. "Gaius…" Arthur did not want to tell Merlin's guardian what had happened, did not want to be able to remember it himself, still if it could save the idiot, it had to be done. The Prince swallowed hard, "it is not easy to hear Gaius."

"Sire, I can tell most of what happened by simply looking at his injuries, I know how painful they were and still are, I can handle hearing the whole story."

Arthur nodded grimly before beginning his tale for the second time that day.

* * *

It was about halfway through that tale the Morgana made her appearance. The King's ward opened the door with a little too much force. The door did not snap against the wood in the same way that it did when Uther entered but it still made its presence known. Arthur slowly switched his attention to the door, he was slightly worried it would be Uther, if that were the case he would have hell to pay but he could deal with that. When the woman who was like his sister walked in the door, he felt a twinge of apprehension and it confused him. What was it about Morgana that was suddenly making him nervous? He shook his head to clear it and looked up at her. A flash of…something…crossed her face and then there was a look of anguish and sadness that took its place, still the look seemed real enough.

"How is he?"

It was Gaius who answered, "We're not sure milady. He has a fever and multiple injuries so he is very weak but if we are able to keep the fever under control and get some nutrients into him, he should recover." Arthur allowed Gaius to answer the questions while he continued to try and cool his friend.

Morgana kept her reaction schooled very carefully, for some reason the Prince was staring at her and she did not appreciate the attention. Sighing in faux relief, Morgana continued, "I was in the throne room earlier when Arthur told us what happened, poor Merlin." Her face contorted into one of pity, "He is a courageous man," the praising words were poison on her tongue, still she continued, "I am glad to know that he will be alright." It was then she felt an odd pulling sensation in the back of her mind, she had felt it before, when Morgause was trying to contact her. She looked down at Arthur for a moment, the Prince looked absolutely pathetic, curled into a ball at the side of his servant's cot. Once Morgause gave the okay, the boy would die and Arthur would be ruined.

"I must go…" She stated abruptly, feeling the pull again.

"Of course milady."

"Please keep me informed of his recovery and I will be back to visit when possible." Without waiting for a response, she hurried from the room; she needed to speak with Morgause.

* * *

Arthur was slightly confused by the abrupt departure of Morgana but the weight in his stomach lessened with her retreating footsteps. Of course that feeling returned as soon as he realized he still needed to finish the story for Gaius. Remembering where he had stopped, he swallowed and continued his narrative. Even if it had not been for his offer to take care of Merlin, he would not have been able to sleep tonight; his dreams would not allow it.

Gaius did not prompt him, just let him collect his thoughts and begin on his own. Arthur could not help but think that maybe he was regretting asking the Prince what had happened in the first place. Still he did not tell him to stop.

* * *

Morgana hurriedly glanced around the room; she wanted to make sure that Gwen was not there before she contacted Morgause again. The maid was nowhere to be seen so she locked the door, not wanting to be disturbed. She had checked on Merlin because she wanted to see whether Arthur had exaggerated his injuries and much to her delight he had not. If anything he slightly undersold them. Naturally, she had to hide that emotion. She had every intention of remaining there, wanting to see as much of the routine as she could so that when they did decide to kill the useless coward, she would know the best time to do so. Still her sister was more important, it only took a moment and she was relieved when Morgause's voice resounded through her head much stronger than it had the day before.

_Sister, it is good to hear you. _

_You as well, Sister. How are you feeling?_

_Much better thank you, the Prince is a strong swordsman._

Morgana scoffed at the statement, she beat him enough when they were children, _I am glad to hear you are all right. I do not have much time, I am not sure when the maid will return._

_Of course Morgana, I will be brief. Do not kill the sorcerer…_her sister continued, but Morgana heard none of it. She knew full well her sister hated Merlin, could feel it in her tone, so she could not imagine why she would want her to wait.

_Why should we wait? He is weak now; it would simply look like he died from his wounds if we kill him now._

_Morgana, you are strong but rash. _ The young woman expected a lecture but got a question, _where is the Prince?_

_Wh…what? _She was confused by the response, why would Morgause care where Arthur was when Merlin was who they were plotting against?

_Where is Prince Arthur right now?_

_He's with Merlin…_It started to make sense.

_That is why we will wait. The Prince will remain with him until he is awake and he would not let you close enough to harm him. If you were to try and kill him now, you might be discovered. We will wait. When the time comes you will kill him, not before. When the Prince feels comfortable enough to leave him alone, you will be allowed to do away with him. _

_Sister…_She wanted to argue but stopped short when she heard the command in her sister's voice.

_No Morgana, I do not want you captured. You did not see the way the Prince defended the boy. If you were captured trying to poison or otherwise kill him, Arthur would not hesitate in harming you. _

_He would not dare._ She could not believe that was true, not even Arthur would be stupid and reckless enough to harm the King's ward.

_Morgana you must trust me on this, Arthur is protecting a known sorcerer, and you know what that means. Torture can change someone and Arthur was a witness to his torture. I am not saying he will be allowed to live, he will die, we just need to wait for a more opportune time. Until that point, continue to check on him. Find out if he still lives and watch for the time when the Prince leaves, when that time comes, we will make our move. _

_But won't it make it obvious that it was planned if he dies after he recovers. _

_Yes sister it will but it won't be traceable to you. You must continue to pretend that you are as worried as everyone else._ _Even if we wait, the outcome is still the same, and you will risk nothing. _Morgana's anger cooled when she thought of this. The traitor would die and it would be at her hand. That was when she heard a knock at the door, Gwen was back.

_I must go Morgause, I will continue to watch and at the correct time the boy will die. _

_Stay safe sister._

_And you as well, continue to heal._

She severed the connection quickly as Gwen let herself into the room carrying the washing. Remembering herself, Morgana moved to reproach the girl who was only supposed to be helping Gaius.

"Gwen?" Her surprise was evident, "I thought you were helping Gaius?"

"I am milady, but I was coming through the kitchens and realized that your washing had not been collected. I just wanted to bring it to you." She hung the garments quickly before turning around, Morgana noticed the bags under her red eyes, the disheveled hair, and she saw her opening. "You do not like seeing Merlin so sick." It was not a question and Gwen allowed the barely contained tears to fall, her head moving from side to side, this was too easy. If Morgana could prove her own 'grief' when she did finally kill the whelp there would be no fingers to point at her.

Adopting her best grieving tone she turned to Gwen, "I know how you feel. It is sad seeing him so frail."

"Gaius said there is a good chance he may not last the night…" Her maid dissolved into tears and Morgana pulled her into a hug.

"Shhh…Gwen, it will be all right…" she cooed. Yes this would be far too easy.

* * *

Arthur finished his narrative and he could see the look of pity in Gaius' eyes.

"Thank you for telling me Arthur. I know how hard that was for you."

"If it will help Gaius, it is no problem."

"It might be best if you got some sleep, Sire. If you stayed in your room tonight, you could return tomorrow, Gwen should be back soon."

"Gaius, please, I told you I cannot leave and I'm sorry if that angers my father. I will stay here tonight. You should rest in Merlin's room. When Guinevere returns I will sleep but until then please get some rest yourself."

The old physician nodded, he could not make the Prince leave and after the story he understood why.

Pulling himself out of the chair, he moved up to his ward's room, intent on getting some sleep, "Goodnight Arthur."

* * *

The situation continued on in much the same way for the next few days. Arthur, Gwen, and Gaius were taking turns sleeping, they had worked up a rough sleeping schedule that ensured there was always someone there to take care of Merlin. Ethan would stop by whenever he was not running errands for his master and he had become very helpful. They could always count on him to bring a fresh bowl of broth up with him. It was the third day when Arthur finally asked the boy why he was running himself ragged and he was both surprised and unfazed by the response.

"My first day here milord, Merlin helped me. Lord Ulric…he…I…" the boy's face was turning an increasingly red color, the embarrassment still evident, "I tripped and spilled wine on some newly cleaned clothes. He told me I had to make them good as new or I would regret coming to Camelot. I was scared and I didn't know how to clean anything as expensive as that but I took the clothes anyway. Merlin found me in the laundry room. He did the work for me, Sire. When I brought the clothing back, Lord Ulric was so shocked at the state of them that he let me go with a warning."

Once Ethan had finished his story, Arthur could not help the guilt that was once again clawing at his stomach. He had yelled at Merlin not too long ago for being late with his washing, the King had been expecting him at a council meeting and he had no clean clothing, so the servant took the brunt of his frustration. Something told him this was the reason why his clothes had been so late in arriving. His friend was too caring and thoughtful to be lying the way he was, still in pain, struggling with a fever.

Wringing out the cloth again, Arthur continued to cool off his arms and forehead, the fever seemed like it was receding but that could have also been Arthur's wishful thinking.

He stayed that way for most of the day while Gaius was off on his rounds and Guinevere was sleeping in Merlin's room, she had refused to leave after he had relieved her at the beginning of the day.

* * *

Ethan had excused himself and Gaius was still gone when Morgana swept into the room. At first Arthur just assumed that Gaius had returned and did not stop what he was doing. That was until an unexplained feeling swept over him, the same feeling he had to deal with when Morgana entered the last time. It was a wave of protectiveness and he turned to see what caused it when he came face to face with his sister.

She knelt down next to him and took the cloth from his limp hands as she proceeded to cool Merlin's brow. Relaxing slightly, Arthur remained where he was.

"How is he?"

"He is doing better, the fever comes down a bit every day. Gaius said that he should wake in the next day or so and since Merlin is always late it will probably take a few more days on top of that." A small smile crept to his lips as he remembered the antics of his servant.

Morgana watched him and felt the nausea settle in her stomach, Arthur's weakness was disgusting. She continued to bath the brow of the coward, contemplating ways that she could kill him, each one more satisfying than the last, and gaining the confidence of Arthur at the same time.

"I'm sorry for what happened Arthur," she said with mock sincerity, "I know that these last weeks have been very hard for you." Now came her test, she wanted to see how far she could push the Prince. Morgause had cautioned her against trying to kill Merlin but she had said nothing about seeing how close she could get before she was denied.

"You look tired, Arthur, if you wanted to get some rest I could sit with him for a while."

Morgana noticed the change in the Prince almost instantly.

His shoulders tensed and his eyes narrowed slightly, "No" was all he said in response. Then he seemed to remember himself, "I…mean…its fine Morgana. I have been getting sleep when I can, right now I feel like I need to be here. I'm sure you understand why."

"Of course Arthur," she smiled sweetly, "I just want to make sure that you are cared for as well."

The tension dropped slightly out of his shoulders but did not leave completely, Morgause had been right, she would never be able to get to Merlin right now, not with the guard dog of a Prince on patrol. She dipped the cloth in the water a few more times before excusing herself to leave Arthur alone and think about her options.

* * *

Gaius walked in after he completed his rounds to find Arthur asleep on the side of the bed with Merlin's hand clutched tightly in his own. Grasping the Prince's shoulder, he shook him awake, "Arthur get some sleep. You are still healing as well and this much strain is not healthy,"

The creaking door to the upper room grabbed their attention as Gwen appeared, framed in the doorway. Arthur could not help the flutter that went through him; even with her tousled hair he noticed how beautiful she looked outlined by the sunlight in the room.

Gaius smiled before continuing, "Let Gwen and I look after him for a while."

"He's right Arthur. You will make yourself sick and then you will be no help to him at all." She had on her best mother hen look as she tramped down the stairs. She smiled up at him gently before taking the towel out of his hand and shooing him up the stairs. The last thing they needed was to take care of both Merlin and Arthur.

* * *

It was the morning of the fourth day, Gwen was sleeping on the chair near the fire, that Arthur had woken to find that Merlin was not nearly as warm as he had been. He had a bit more color in his cheeks. Arthur could not help the hope that swelled in his chest. Springing up from his seat, Arthur went to wake Gaius who was sleeping in Merlin's room.

Without stopping to knock, the Prince barreled into the room, "Gaius!"

Waking up quickly, the physician blinked the sleep out of his eyes, "What is it Arthur?" Then with a panic, he realized what it could be, "Merlin! Is he all right? What's wrong?"

Regretting the panic he had caused, the Prince quickly tried to wipe away the look of fear the old man's face had adopted, "Nothing Gaius, I think the fear may have finally broken."

Message delivered, Arthur turned and sprinted back out of the room, knowing Gaius would follow. He vaguely registered that Gwen was stirring in the chair but when he realized that Merlin's eyes were opened and he was looking around the room, he stepped to him instead. As he got closer, he realized they were full of fear.

Not wanting to scare him, he approached the bed carefully and as he locked eyes on his friend all the fear disappeared in one word, "Arthur?"

Closing the gap to the bed, the Prince knelt next to his friend, grabbing a hold of his hand, "It's all right Merlin, we're safe now." He could feel Gwen move in behind him, he could just imagine her hand covering her mouth and tears in her eyes.

The warlock answered back with one word, "Okay?" It took a minute for Arthur to realize that Merlin was asking if he was all right, the Prince wanted to smack him, "Me? I'm fine Merlin."

A small smile crept to his lips before his eyelids fluttered closed again, Arthur panicked for a moment before he realized the man had just fallen back to sleep. Gaius joined them a moment later.

"Did he wake? I heard you talking." He gave a way of explanation.

"Yes he woke for a moment but then fell back to sleep quickly."

"That's understandable, he will be doing that for the next few days while his body recovers. We still need to make sure he is eating and drinking, regardless of whether or not he's awake."

He stood up to look at Gwen, a teary smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug, both her boys were finally safe.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Merlin would wake for small snippets of time, always to be greeted by someone ready to pour broth and tonic down his throat, words of encouragement joining the food.

* * *

It took another two days after the fever had broken for Merlin to fully wake. He had said things to Arthur, Gaius, and Gwen on multiple occasions but it was not until then that he had been able to actually speak with them for longer than a few words.

Gaius had been at his bedside when he finally woke. Few groans accompanied his return to the land of the fully conscious, along with a realization of all the aches and pains that had been dulled and numbed by unconsciousness. Still it was Merlin weakly calling his name that alerted the physician who had been across the room been preparing tinctures with Ethan's help.

"Gaius…"

"Merlin." He said before hurrying over to the bed, "thank the gods."

"Wha…what happened Gaius? Why do I feel like I've been run over by all the horses in the kingdom?" Gaius panicked for a minute, surely he hadn't been hit on the head, then a worse thought came to him, surely the fever had not been that grave.

"What do you remember?"

"Arthur wanted to go hunting after talking to Cenred's m…oh gods." All the pain made sense and suddenly he found himself terror-stricken, all the pain flooded back to him at once and started shaking. He felt everything like it was happening again and while he could hear Gaius' voice in the background, his fear was too busy trying to consume him to allow him to process it, let alone answer back.

* * *

Gaius watched as his ward's face went from slightly masked pain to poorly masked pain and unbridled fear in the blink of an eye, "Ethan, go find Arthur." The slamming of the door gave the answer Gaius had been waiting for; while he waited he tried to get Merlin to listen to him, to calm down. It was useless. Try as he might, Gaius had not been there and Merlin needed someone who had to pull him out of this before he hyperventilated and harmed himself more. Taking hold of his ward's shoulders, he tried looking into his eyes but to no avail, it was like Merlin was looking straight through him. Instead he took to holding the man in place until the Prince could get there.

* * *

Arthur was trying to get ready for a council meeting with his father. Normally he would have just skipped it but given the fact that Uther had yet to say anything about his staying in the physician's chambers for the last week or so, he figured he should give him this one. The unnamed servant was trying to help him get dressed but Arthur was being slightly less than helpful. He was still irate that he had to go at all and the servant was not very good at choosing outfits. Everything he picked was awful or uncomfortable which is why Arthur currently found himself standing behind his dressing screen tapping his foot, ready to leave.

He was still behind the screen when the door slammed open and he heard his own name being called by a young voice that he recognized,

"Arthur, Prince Arthur, please." It was Ethan.

Stepping out from behind the screen, only partially dressed, he locked eyes with the young servant, "It's Merlin, Sire. Gaius needs you immediately." Then the boy took off out of the room. Arthur was following close on his heels, state of dress and council meeting forgotten.

* * *

Gaius was still sitting in front of Merlin trying to get his attention when Ethan arrived in the room with Arthur close behind, a question already on his lips,

"What's wrong Gaius?" He could see Merlin sitting up and shaking, Gaius' hands tightly gripping his shoulders. Settling himself beside the physician, Gaius just looked at him.

"He's remembering everything that happened." He said with a sad tone.

"What? He wasn't hit on the head, why did he forget it?"

"I think he just pushed it to the back of his mind and waking up brought it all to the forefront. He won't listen to me. You need to try to talk to him Arthur. You were there, you might be the only one he listens to." Gaius shifted to the side to allow the Prince to sit in front of Merlin as he had just been doing. Taking his shoulders much like Gaius had, he tilted his head close to Merlin's.

"Merlin, I need you to listen very carefully. What you're seeing are memories, horrible memories but they are just that: memories. Those people, they can't hurt you any more, we killed them. They can never hurt you again. You're safe now, Merlin. I promise." Taking his tone down a little more, he repeated his earlier monologue, would say it as many times as it took. If Merlin was trapped in the memories, he needed to know how they ended.

After the second repeat, Merlin finally looked up. Locking Arthur's eyes he whispered one word, "Arthur?" It was eerily similar to the night in the tent after the men of Camelot had found them, so the Prince repeated his words, "It's me, cabbage head." Before becoming serious and adding, "It's over, Merlin. No one will hurt you again."

His friend broke down into tears and Arthur to wrapped him in another hug, hopefully this was the last time he had to go through this painful realization.

When he finally calmed down, Arthur let him go, helping him to lie back down but remained at his side. Merlin was spent. At that point, Gaius knelt down next to him and Merlin finally acknowledged his presence, "Gaius. It's good to see you."

The physician couldn't help but smile, "Its good to see you too, my boy, but I think its time for you to get some restful sleep. I have a drought for you…"

It wasn't needed. Before Gaius finished the sentence, Merlin was out again.

Arthur turned to address him, "I have to attend a council meeting Gaius but I will be back up as soon as it has concluded."

Gaius simply nodded in his direction, staring between the boy on the bed and the retreating Prince's back. It would be a long road to recovery but at least Merlin had friends who were willing to help him through it.

* * *

**So there we have it! Merlin is finally awake, Arthur knows something is up with Morgana but can't quite place it, and Morgause has cautioned her sister to wait. Tune in next time to find out what happens...**

**Have a good day!**

**Best,**

**Lily**


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